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MARY AND MARTHA 

THE MOTHER AND THE WIFE 

OF 

GEORGE WASHINGTON 



BENSON j: LOSSING, LL.D. 

AUTHOR OF 

"FIELD-BOOK OF THE REVOLUTION" "FIELD-BOOK OF THE WAR OF 1812' 
" CYCLOPEDIA OF UNITED STATES HISTORY " ETC. 



ILLUSTRATED 

BY FACSIMILES OF PEN-AND-INK DRAWINGS 
By H. ROSA 




NEW YORK 

HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE 

1886 






Copyright, 1886. by Harper & Brothers. 



All rishis reserved. 



^ 



/ 



7. 



TO 



MY YOUNG COUNTRYWOMEN 

THIS BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIVES OF TWO OF THE MOST 
ILLUSTRIOUS EXEMPLARS OF TRUE WOMANHOOD 

Is lEJebicatcb 

BY THE AUTHOR 



{ 



INTRODUCTION. 



So quiet, so unostentatious, so eminently domestic were 
the lives of the mother and the wife of George Washing- 
ton that the biographer and the historian have rarely men- 
tioned theirs as distinct from their relations as mother and 
wife of that illustrious man. For a faithful portraiture of 
the character and deeds of either of these notable women, 
the sum of trustworthy materials to be found in memoirs, 
annals, or records, is very meagre. And yet the lives of 
these two women were indissolubly associated with the 
earthly destiny of one of the grandest characters in the 
world's history : one as his maternal guide in his childhood 
and youth, and the other as his conjugal companion and 
counsellor in his manhood and exalted career. 

From 1848 until late in i860, I was a frequent visitor at 
Arlington House, in Virginia, the pleasant seat of the late 
George Washington Parke Custis. It is situated upon high 
ground on the right bank of the Potomac River, overlook- 
ing the cities of Washington and Georgetown. Mr. Custis 
was a grandson of Martha Washington, and one of the two 
foster-children of her husband. He died in 1857, leaving 
his estate to his only child, Mrs. Mary Custis Lee, the wife 
of Col. Robert E. Lee, U. S. Army, who became the com- 



Vlll INTRODUCTION. 

mander-in-chief of the Confederate military forces late in 
the Civil War of i86i-'65. I continued my visits at Ar- 
lington House until a short time before the family aban- 
doned it and joined General Lee at Richmond in the spring 
of 1861. 

Arlington House was filled with treasures — precious 
mementos of the distinguished family at Mount Vernon. 
Furniture, plate, porcelain, pictures, account - books, and 
manuscripts of various kinds — relics of the Washington 
and Custis families — were there in abundance, and were 
placed at my disposal for inspection, research, and use. 

Mr. Custis was eighteen years of age when Washington 
died, and twenty years old when his grandmother left the 
earth. His recollections of Washington and his wife, of 
his own personal experiences at Mount Vernon, and of his 
acquaintances and associates there, were very vivid. Dur- 
ing many long conversations with Mr. Custis, of which I 
made brief notes to assist memory, I obtained a large 
amount of information, especially concerning his grand- 
mother and her family. He had no clear remembrance of 
Washington's mother, for he was only five years of age 
when she died. 

When, in 1859, Mrs. Lee placed in my hands, to arrange 
and annotate for the press, the communications of her fa- 
ther to the National Intelligencer for more than twenty 
years, under the title of " Recollections of Washington," a 
large quantity of autograph letters and documents pertain- 
ing to the Washington and Custis families were put into 



INTRODUCTION. ix 

my possession. From these papers, and from others at Ar- 
lington House, from bits of trustworthy information picked 
up here and there, sometimes by accident but more fre- 
quently by research during the past thirty-five years, I gath- 
ered much knowledge concerning the mother and the wife 
of Washington, which has hitherto been unrevealed to the 
public. The threads of knowledge thus gathered form the 
fabric of this volume, literary and artistic. 

In delineating the career of Martha Washington I have 
mingled sketches of events in the private and public life of 
her husband in which she was directly or indirectly a par- 
ticipant — such as amusements, fetes, military reviews, recep- 
tions, entertainments, hospitalities at Mount Vernon, and, 
notably, the life at various head-quarters of the army during 
the war for independence, at which they resided together. 

So with the illustrations. Among these may be found 
pictures of head-quarters at which Mrs. Washington tarried 
v/ith her husband after the close of each campaign ; also 
of the two churches at which they worshipped together a 
greater part of their lives during forty years, and the Presi- 
dential mansions in New York and Philadelphia. In the 
delineation of other objects and events, care has been exer- 
cised for securing accuracy in form and costume, and for 
conforming to historical truth. 

The engravings which illustrate the contents of this vol- 
ume are fac-similes of pen-and-ink sketches made expressly 

for this work. 

Benson J. Lossing. 
The Ridge, 1886. 



CONTENTS, 



MARY. 

CHAPTER I. 

John Ball and his career, 3; the Ball family in Virginia; William Ball 
of Kent, 6; Joseph Ball and daughter Mary, 7; Mary Ball, birth, 
parentage, and early years of, 7, 8 ; defective school education of 
Mary, 9 ; her home education, 10 ; description of her person ; visits 
England, 11. 

CHAPTER II. 

Portrait of Mary Ball, 13; history of the portrait, 13-16; Washington 
and Ball families at Cookham, England, 16, 17; Washington family 
in England, i8, 19; the family in Virginia, 18 ; first emigrants to Vir- 
ginia, 19; John Washington, 20; His son Augustine marries Mary 
Ball, who becomes the mother of George Washington, 21; place of 
the marriage ; birth of George Washington, 22, 23 ; discussion of the 
subject, 23, 24; description of the portrait of Mary Ball ; the painter 
of the portrait, 25, 26. 

CHAPTER III. 

Augustine Washington's home in Virginia, 27; the blessings of children ; 
house destroyed by fire, 28 ; George Washington's first school-master ; 
home near Fredericksburg, 29; laymg of a memorial stone, 30, 
31; death of Augustine Washington, 31; character of Mary Wash- 
ington, 32, 33 ; Lawrence Washington, 34 ; the Mount Vernon es- 
tates, 35 ; young Washington and the untamed colt, 36-38 ; naval 
aspirations of the lad, 39 ; his disappointment, 40. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Lord Fairfax, 42, 43; young Washington his favorite; Washington a 
public surveyor, 43 ; death of Lawrence Washington, 44 ; George 



XU CONTENTS. 

Washington inherits Mount Vernon; Elizabeth Lewis, 45; French 
and Indian War, 46 ; Washington on a perilous mission, 47; in the 
military service, 48 ; on General Braddock's staff, 49 ; letters to his 
mother, 50-53; returns to Mount Vernon, 51; dissatisfaction with 
the service, 52 ; commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces; member 
of the House of Burgesses, 53. 

CHAPTER V. 

Marriages of Mary Washington's children, 55; her removal to Freder- 
icksburg, 56; home at Fredericksburg, 56; absurd fictions, 57; news 
from her distinguished son, 58 ; her domestic habits, faith, and forti- 
tude, 59 ; her firmness and piety, 60 ; her fear of lightning, 61 ; visited 
by her illustrious son, 62 ; attends a brilliant ball with American and 
French officers, 63 ; visited by Lafayette, 64, 65; Washington's last 
visit to his mother, 66 ; her personal appearance, 67. 

CHAPTER VL 

Death of -the mother of Washington, 69 ; her funeral, 70 ; a tribute to 
her character ; a proposed monument to her memory; corner-stone of 
a monument laid, 72; attendance and address of President Jackson 
on the occasion, 73-75 ; poem by Mrs. Sigourney, 76 ; a monument 
erected and utterly neglected, 77, 78. 



MARTHA. 

CHAPTER I. 

The colonial court of Virginia; John Dandridge, 83; Miss Martha Dan- 
dridge ; John Custis, 84 ; Custis marries Frances Parke, 84; his love- 
letter, 85 ; matrimonial infelicity, 86 ; Daniel Parke Custis, 86; wooes 
and wins Martha Dandridge, 87; impediments in the way removed, 
87, 88 ; rector of St. Peter's Church, 89 ; marriage of Daniel Parke 
Custis and Martha Dandridge, 90 ; Mrs. Custis's watch, 90, 91; their 
children, 92 ; death of Mr. Custis, 94 ; colonels Washington and 
Chamberlayne, 95; first meeting of Washington and Mrs. Custis, 96; 
Washington's earlier tender attachments, 96,97; his betrothal, 99; 
leaves the army and becomes a legislator, 100; marriage of Colonel 
Washington and Mrs. Custis, 101-103. 



CONTENTS. XVU 

tour, 299; social life in Philadelphia, 300; Mrs. Washington takes no 
part in public affairs; ever a helpmate for her husband, 301; her 
letter to Mrs. Hamilton, 302; her devotion to her husband, 303; 
scurrilous attacks upon Washington's character, 304; Lafayette and 
his family, 305; celebrations of Washington's birthday, 306; its cele- 
bration in Philadelphia, 307; last levees and fai-ewell dinner, 307, 308; 
inauguration of the second President, 309; a grand banquet, 309, 310. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Final retirement to Mount Vernon; young Lafayette, 311; the family 
at Mount Vernon; repose disturbed, 312; Mrs. Washington's letter 
to Mrs. Knox, 313; Mrs. Washington's household, 314; Home Rule 
at Mount Vernon, 315, 316; Nelly Custis's account of domestic life 
at Mount Vernon, 317, 318; her first ball, 31S; Washington on love, 
319, 320; Lawrence Lewis at Mount Vernon; Nelly Custis's suitors, 
321, 322; marriage of Lawrence Lewis and Nelly Custis, 322, 323; 
their residence at Mount Vernon, 323. 

CHAPTER XVn. 

A presentiment, 324; Washington's dream, 324, 325; Mrs. Washington's 
illness; Church and dancing assemblies at Alexandria, 326; death of 
Washington, 327, 328; Monuments to his memory, 329, 330; sick- 
ness and death of Martha Washington, 330, 331; the entombment at 
Mount Vernon, 331; testimonials to the character of Washington, 
332-334; portraits of Martha Washington, 334, 335; conclusion, 336. 

APPENDIX. 
Will of Martha Washington, 337-340. 

INDEX, 341-348. 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Mary Ball Frontispiece 

John Ball Preaching , 3 

Arms of the Ball Family 6 

William Ball's Signature 7 

Mary Ball's Signature 9 

Mary Washington's Signature lo 

Combined Arms of the Washington Family i8 

Washington's Arms ig 

Cave Castle 20 

Fac-simile of the Entry of the Birth of Washington ... 22 

The Washington Residence near Fredericksburg , . 29 

Memorial Stone. 30 

The First Mansion at Mount Vernon 35 

Young Washington and the Colt 37 

Lawrence Washington . . 44 

RoBT. Dinwiddie 47 

Mary Washington's House at Fredericksburg 57 

Monument in Memory of Mary Washington 77 



Martha Washington .Frontispiece 

Martha Custis's Watch 91 

Daniel Parke Custis 92 

Martha Custis 93 

Colonel Washington and Mrs. Custis 98 

Arms of the Custis Family 108 

Mrs. Washington's Children iio 



XX , ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Washington equipped for the Chase 113 

PoHicH Church 117 

John Parke Custis 125 

Washington's Head-quarters at Cambridge 135 

Washington's Head-quarters at New York 153 

Washington's Head-quarters at Whitemarsh 163 

Mrs. Washington's Journey to Valley Forge 166 

Washington's Head-quarters at Valley Forge 169 

Washington's Head-quarters at Morristown 191 

UzAL Knapp 204 

Washington's Head-quarters at Newburgh sis*"' 

Washington's Head-quarters at Rocky Hill 222* 

Mansion at Mount Vernon 235 

Diagram of Grounds and Buildings 238 _ 

Italian Chimney-piece 241 

Tablet on the Left 242 

Centre Tablet. 242 

Tablet on the Right 242 

Elizabeth Parke Custis ■? 246 ' 

Geo. Washington Parke Custis 246 

Mrs. Washington's Sevres China , 254 

President's House near Franklin Square, N. Y 264 

Washington's English Coach 2S5 

Panel on Washington's Coach > 288 

President's House on Broadway, N. Y 290 

President's House in Philadelphia 297 

E. P. Lewis (Nelly Custis) 315 

Nelly Custis's Harpsichord 316 

Summer-house at Mount Vernon 325 

Christ Church, Alexandria 326 

Shadow Portrait 334 

Nelly Custis's Book-mark -. 336 



CONTENTS, xiii 

CHAPTER II. 

Residence at the White House ; Washington assumes the care of his 
wife's children and estate, 104; his personal appearance at that time, 
and his estate, 105 ; domestic supplies from London, 107; clothing! 
etc., for the children, 108, lOg ; orders a harpsichord, 109; Mount 
Vernon embellished, no ; life at Mount Vernon, iii-i 15 ; the chase, 
112-115; social enjoyments, 115; horses and dogs at Mount Ver- 
non, 116; Washington equipped for the road, 116; attendance at 
Pohich Church, 117; balls and parties; methodical habits at Mount 
Vernon, 118 ; Mrs. Washington's abounding goodness, 119. 

CHAPTER III. 

A new class of visitors at Mount Vernon; political aspect, 120; Wash- 
ington engaged in public affairs, 121; death of Mrs. Washington's 
daughter, 122; Charles Willson Peale paints portraits at Mount Ver- 
non, 123; John Parke Custis and his desire to travel, 124; his be- 
trothal and marriage, 125, 126; Mrs. Washington and her danghter- 
in-law, 126; children of John Parke Custis, 127; the first Continental 
Congress, 128 ; Mrs. Washington's patriotism, 128, 129 ; doings of the 
Congress, 129, 130; Patrick Henry's estimate of Washington, 130; 
Washington Commander-in-chief, 131; letter to his wife, 132. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Alienation of friends; British troops in Boston, 134; Washington at 
Cambridge, 135 ; Governor Dunmore alarms the Mount Vernon re- 
gion, 136; Mrs. Washington's courage; sets out for Cambridge, 137; 
at Philadelphia, 138; proceedings concerning a ball there, 139,140; 
Mrs. Washington avoids New York, 141 ; her journey to and arrival 
at Cambridge, 142, 143 ; gloomy aspect of affairs, 144; Mrs. Washing- 
ton and social life at Cambridge, 144; Mrs. Lucy Knox, 145. 

CHAPTER V. 

Affairs at Cambridge, 146; Boston besieged; alarm of the Loyalists, 147; 
the British evacuate Boston, 148; alarming rumors from the Potomac,' 
148, I4q; Mrs. Washington tarries at Cambridge, 149; visited by 
Mercy Warren, 150; Mr. and Mrs. Custis,i50,i5i; Mrs. Washington 
dines with Mrs. Warren, 151; visited by Phillis Wheatly, a slave. 



XIV CONTENTS. 

152 ; Mrs. Washington goes to New York, 153 ; inoculated for the 
smallpox, 1 54; Mr. and Mrs. Custis at Mount Vernon, 154, 155; Lord 
l^unniore in Chesapeake Bay, 155; his raid up the Potomac and men- 
ace of Mount Vernon, 156; a plot to murder Washington, 156, 157; 
attempt to poison him, 158; letter of Mrs. Washington, 15S; stirring 
military events, 159; position of Mrs. Washington, 160. 

CHAPTER VI. 

The army at Whitemarsh, 161; Mrs. Washington's arrival at head-quar- 
ters; an expedition foileil, 162; Mrs. Washington's journey to White- 
marsh and to Valley Forge, 165; head-quarters at \'alley Forge, 166; 
condition of the army at Valley Forge, 167-1 71 ; Mrs. Washington's 
incessant labors for the comfort of the soldiers, 16S; Mrs. Washing- 
ton's description of the head-quarters at Valley Forge, 171 ; disposi- 
tion of the troops at Valley P\n-ge, 172 ; celebrating the alliance with 
the French, 173, 174 ; Mrs. Washington at the celebration, 174 ; Brit- 
ish evacuate Philadelphia, 175; battle of Monmouth Court-house, 
176; military events and the tinances, 177. 

CHAPTER Vn. 

Head-quarters at Middlebrook; Mrs. Washington's arrival at, 17S; room 
fitted up for her, 179; celebration of the anniversary of the French 
alliance, 180-182; the "temple "and its adornments, 181, 182; social 
life at head-quarters; personal notices of Washington and his wife, 
183; distinguished visitors and a review, 1S4; a picturesque review, 
185; the army at the Hudson Highlands, 1 85 ; military events and 
finances, 186; Lafayette and French troops, 187. 

CHAPTER Vin. 

Head-quarters at Morristown,iS8 ; Mrs. Washington's arrival there, 1S9; 
she visits Mrs. Wilson on the way, 189,190; a severe winter, 191; 
the suffering army; alarms at head-quarters, 192; Mrs. Washington 
visited by ladies ; these assist her in efforts for the relief of the sol- 
diers, 193; General Schuyler and his family; a night at head-quar 
ters, 194; Colonel Hamilton and Miss Schuyler, 195 ; distinguished 
visitors at head-quarters; death of one of them, 196; Mrs. Washing- 
ton returns to Mount Vernon; militar}- events, 197; cantonments of 
the American Army, 19S. 



contp:nts. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Mrs. Washington assists an association of ladies, in Philadelphia, in pro- 
viding clothing for the soldiers; De Chastellux and Grieve on Mrs. 
Washington, 200, 2or; Mrs. Washington at head -quarters at New- 
Windsor, 201; Uzal Knapp, a lifeguardsman, 201, 204; a Christmas 
dinner at head-quarters, 202-204; nuts and eggs, 203; little Anna 
Brewster, 204, 205 ; Mount Vernon again threatened ; a compromise, 
206; Mrs. Washington's life at New Windsor, 207; Washington visits 
his home, 208; departure for the camp at Yorktown, 209-, surrender 
of Cornwallis; an ancient nurse, 210; death of J. P. Custis ; Wash- 
ington adopts two of his children, 211; goes to Philadelphia with 
Mrs. Washington, 212. 

CHAPTER X. 

Eflect of the surrender of Cornwallis in England, 213-; -head-quarters at 
Newburgh, 214; Mrs. Washington's arrival there, 215; grand fete at 
West Point, 215-217; the French army on the Hudson; French offi- 
cers at head-quarters, 218 ; suggestion of a mutiny at Newburgh, 219; 
Mrs. Washington and pardoned prisoners; disbandment of the army 
begun, 220; Society of the Cincinnati; a tour in New York State; 
Mrs. Washington ill ; Congress votes an ecjuestrian statue of Wash- 
ington ; at Rocky Hill, 221; Mrs. Washington's final farewell to camp 
life, 222 ; her gardening at Newburgh ; charming social intercourse 
at Princeton, 223; Washington's letter on matrimonial affairs, 224; 
marriage of Dr. Stuart and Mrs. Custis; evacuation of New York, 
225; Washington parts with his officers and resigns his commission, 
226; accompanies Mrs. Washington to Mount Vernon, a private citi- 
zen, 227; a joyous Christmas there, 228, 229. 

CHAPTER XI. 

Washington's letters on his retirement, 231; letters to the Marchioness 
de Lafayette, 232, 233 ; coveted repose denied ; plan for enlarging 
the "cottage," 234; the new mansion. 235, 236; out-buildings and 
grounds, 236-238 ; visit from Lafayette, 239 ; Mrs. Washington and 
a French hound, 240; a chimney-piece presented, 240-242; Pine, a 
painter, at Mount Vernon, 245; Houdon, a sculptor, there, 246; Mrs. 
Graham and Samuel Vaughan, of England, visit Mount Vernon, 247, 
248. 

A 



XVI CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XII. 

The French minister and the Marchione.ss de Brienne visit Mount Ver- 
non, 249; the marchioness charmed by her visit; paints miniature 
likeness of Washington, 250, 251; Brissot de Warville visits Mount 
Vernon ; his account of Mrs. Washington, 251; Washington's playful 
letter to de Chastellux, 252 ; costly presents from French officers, 253 ; 
new plan of civil government needed, 254; the constitutional conven- 
tion and its results, 255; Washington chosen President of the United 
States, 256; the secretary of Congress received at Mount Vernon, 
257; Washington goes to New York, 258 ; incidents of his journey; 
his inauguration, 259; a grand ball, 260; costumes at the ball, 261; 
a fiction, 262. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

First Presidential mansion in New York, 263; Mrs. Washington begins 
her journey to New York, 264; between Baltimore and Philadelphia, 
265; reception at Philadelphia; departure for New York, 266; at 
Liberty Hall; arrival at New York, 267; a dinner party, 26S ; morn- 
ing calls and public reception, 269; methods of receptions, 270, 271; 
the President's title discussed, 273; Presidential etiquette, 274-276. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Mrs. Washington's life in New York, 277; epistolary correspondence be- 
tween herself and husband destroyed, 278 ; her letter to Mercy War- 
ren on her life in New York, 279-281: society in New York, 281; 
the theatre, 282, 283; the " President's March " composed and intro- 
duced, 283, 284; the President's eastern tour, 284; his English coach, 
287, 288 ; New Year calls ; domestic life at the President's home, 288 ; 
second Presidential mansion in New York, 289 ; soldiers come to 
"head-quarters;" how Sundays were spent there, 291; the place of 
the permanent residence of the national government considered, 291, 
292 ; its removal to Philadelphia, 292 ; the President visits Rhode 
Island, 293 ; departure for Mount Vernon and the journey thither, 
294. 295- 

CHAPTER XV. 

Seat of government at Philadelphia, 296 ; first receptions there by the 
President and Mrs. Washington, 297; breakfast at the President's 
house; Mrs. Washington's social habits, 298; Washington's Southern 



MARY 



MARY, 

THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 



CHAPTER I. 



"A Being breathing thoughtful breath, 
A Traveller between life and death; 
The reason firm, the temperate will. 
Endurance, forethought, strength and skill; 
A perfect Woman, nobly planned 
To warn, to comfort, and command ; 
And yet a Spirit still, and bright 
With something of an angel light. — Wordsworth. 

The courtly knight, Sir John Froissart, the famous chron- 
icler of the time of the Plantagenets, drew with a brilliant 
pen a bold sketch of a "crazy preacher of Kent," as he 
called him, who was an irrepressible reformer, and a leader 
in Wat Tyler's rebellion against the nobility of England in 
the 14th century. 

John Ball was the mad preacher. He was of the class 
of married priests so hated and harried by St. Dunstan 
centuries before. A sturdy democrat — a prototype of the 
socialists and nihilists of our time — John Ball, for fully twen- 
ty years before he was silenced by the sharp and conclusive 

I 



2 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

argument of the executioner's axe, had harangued the yeo- 
men in Kentish church-yards, in market-places, and at fairs, 
always taking for his text his favorite couplet — 

" When Adam delv'd and Eve span, 
Who was then the gentleman?" 

In spite of stocks, and the prison of the Archbishop of 
Canterbury in which he had thrice languished ; in spite of 
beatings in by-places and frequent insults, John Ball con- 
tinually inveighed bitterly against the tyranny of rank and 
wealth and privilege which oppressed the people. His in- 
vectives were aimed at the nobles and prelates of the realm. 
He preached the seminal doctrine of our Declaration of In- 
dependence, pure and simple ; and the people listened to 
him with eager ears and loving hearts, as a prophet and 
evangelist. 

There was cause for such preaching then. The candid 
old chronicler says the "commonalty" were sorely op- 
pressed, and were absolute bondmen to the privileged 
class. " They are compelled by law and custom," he said, 
" to plough the lands of gentlemen, to harvest the grain, to 
carry it home to the barn, to thresh and winnow it ; they are 
also bound to harvest the hay and carry it home, and to 
hew the wood and carry it home." 

Every Sunday, after mass, as the people came out of the 
church, they gathered about John Ball. On one of these 
occasions he exclaimed, says the chronicler, " My good 
friends, things cannot go on well in England, nor ever will, 
until everything shall be in common ; when there shall 
neither be vassal nor lord, and all distinctions levelled ; 
when the lords shall be no more masters than ourselves. 



JOHN BALL AS A PREACHER. 3 

How ill they have used us ! and for what reason do they 
thus hold us in bondage ? Are we not all de&oended from 
the same parents, Adam and Eve ? and what can they show, 
or what reasons give, why they should be more the masters 
than ourselves ? — except, perhaps, in making us labor and 
work for them to spend in their pride. They are clotlied 
in velvets and rich stuffs, ornamented with ermine and 
other furs, while we are forced to wear poor clothes. They 
have wines, spices, and fine bread, when we have only rye 




JOHN BALL PREACHING. (FROM A MS. OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.) 

and the refuse of the straw ; and, if we drink, it must be 
water. They have handsome seats and manors, when we 
must brave the wind and rain in our labors in the field ; 
but it is from our labor they have wherewith to support their 
pomp. We are called slaves ; and if we do not perform 
our services, we are beaten, and we have not any sovereign 
to whom we can complain, or who wishes tq hear us and do 
justice." 

The people murmured, "John Ball speaks the truth." 
But for these utterances he was imprisoned by the Arch- 



4 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

bishop of Canterbury. This act, and an unjust tax levied 
at about that time, set England ablaze, from sea to sea, 
with popular indignation. A hundred thousand Kentish 
men and others, led by Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, entered 
Canterbury (138 1), plundered the archbishop's palace, took 
John Ball from prison, and set him on a horse as their 
leader, and pressed on towards London, killing every lawyer 
by the way — " for not till they are all killed will the land 
enjoy freedom !" shouted the peasants. They sang dog- 
gerel ditties, many of them composed by John Ball, which 
were scattered among the people to arouse them^ to revolt. 
One of them ran thus : 

"John Ball, Greeteth you all, 
And doth for to Understand he hath rung your Bell. 
Now Right and Might, Will and Skill, 
God speed eveiy Dele. 
Now reigneth Pride in Price, 
And Covetise is counted Wise, 
And Lechery without Shame, 
And Gluttony without Blame," etc. 

In these rude jingles we may trace the beginning of the 
literature of political controversy in England; the prede- 
cessor of the pamphlet and the newspaper controversies 
afterwards. They expressed the passions of the oppressed 
- multitude ; their yearnings for simple justice and their 
scorn of the immorality of the nobles and the infamy of 
the royal house and the Court. 

King Richard II., just enthroned, was then a lad of six- 
teen. Advised by his mother, he acted wisely, though de- 
ceitfully, at this crisis, in quelling the insurrection, by meet- 
ing: the malcontents face to face. 



DESCENDED FROM JOHN BALL, 5 

"We will," shouted the insurgent peasants, "that you 
free us forever, we and our lands, and that we be never 
named or held as serfs." 

" I grant it," cried Richard ; and he bade them go home, 
pledging himself to issue charters and forgiveness, a pledge 
intended to be broken. The insurgents dispersed, all but 
about thirty thousand who remained with Wat Tyler to 
watch over the fulfilment of the royal pledge. A quarrel 
with the mayor of London brought on a conflict. Wat 
Tyler was killed, John Ball and Jack Straw were seized, 
and their heads (cut off by the king's command) were, with 
Tyler's, displayed upon pikes on London Bridge. 

"' Mad' as the land-owners called him," says Green, the 
historian, " it was in the preaching of John Ball that Eng- 
land first listened to the knell of feudalism and the decla- 
ration of the rights of man." 

The death of John Ball occurred at Coventry in the year 
138 1, five hundred years ago. His voice is yet sounding 
ominously in the ears of the privileged classes in England, 
proclaiming that " all men are created equal." The latest 
and most startling echo of that voice was heard at the pas- 
sage by the British Parliament, in the autumn of 1884, of 
the Franchise and Redistribution Acts, by which the gov- 
ernment of England passed into the hands of the whole 
people. 

What has all this to do with Mary, the mother of Wash- 
ington ? it may be asked. Much — it may be very much. 
Possibly the democratic spirit of our beloved patriot was 
inherited through a long line of ancestry from the "mad 
preacher of Kent," Washington's mother was Mary Ball, 
of English descent, the second wife of his father, and there 



MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 




ARMS OF THE BALL FAMILY. 



are weighty reasons for believing that she was a lineal de- 
scendant from John Ball, the mediaeval champion of the 
rights of man. 

Many years ago a resident of Pe- 
tersburg, Va., sent me a rude pencil 
sketch of the arms of the Ball family, 
which he copied from a rough water- 
color drawing belonging to an old Vir- 
ginia family. It is an escutcheon bear- 
ing a lion rampant, a coat of mail, and 
a shield bearing two lions and 2.Jieur 
dc lis. The crest is a helmet, with 
closed visor. Above the lion is a 
broad bar, half red and half gold. At the bottom of the 
escutcheon is a floating ribbon bearing the legend : Cce- 
LUMQUE TUERi. On the back of the picture was written : 

" The coat of arms of Colonel William Ball, who came from England, 
with his family, about the year 1650, and settled at the mouth of Coro- 
tonian River, in Lancaster County, Virginia, and died in 1669 leaving 
two sons, William and Joseph, and one daughter, Hannah, who married 
Daniel Fox. William left eight sons (and one daughter), five of whom 
have now (Anno Domini, 1779) male issue. Joseph's male issue is ex- 
tinct. General George Washington is his grandson by his youngest 
daughter, Mary." 

Col. William Ball was a native of Kent, and a younger 
brother of John Ball, a Calvinistic divine of Woodstock, 
who was extolled by Fuller and Baxter for his piety and 
learning. The colonel reluctantly served for a while in the 
royal army during the Civil War, and was in the battles of 
Mars ton Moor and Naseby. His estate, which was consid- 
erable, was much injured when General Fairfax crushed an 



Aprill II, 1737." 




THE BALL FAMILY. 7 

insurrection in Kent. After the death of the king, Colonel 
Ball came to America and settled as a planter in Lancaster 
County, in South-eastern Virginia. His adult children seem 
to have been well educated. William, the oldest, became an 
expert surveyor, and was active as such as late as 1737.* 

In 1670 William's brother, Joseph, returned to England 
to look after the estate left by their father. There Joseph / 
married, and there he dwelt until about the year 1695, when / 
he returned to Virginia. There, late in 1706, his youngest \ 
daughter, Mary, was born. This daughter became the moth- 
er of Washington. Her brother, Joseph Ball, Jr., was edu- 
cated in England for the profession of the law, became a 
practitioner in London, married Miss Ravenscroft, and made 
the country of his birth his permanent home. lie probably 

* The following note (an autograph), written by William Ball to Col. 
William Fairfax, is in a beautiful, round hand. " His Lordshipp " re- 
ferred to was Lord Thomas Fairfax, of Greenway Court, Virginia, the 
friend of Washington in his youth and early manhood : 

"Sir, 

"I expected to have compleated the Survey this week, and to 
have sent it to his Lordshipp, but am verry much Indisposed that I could 
not doe it in time. Colonel Giymes has Directed me to have the Sur- 
vey at Williamsburg next Wednesday, where I hope [to be] with the 
Surveys for the King's Commission and his Lordshipp's. 
" I am with due Respect, 

" y Verry Hum^'e Serv«, 



8 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

never resided in America after he settled in England, but 
seems to have visited Virginia, where he had landed prop- 
erty. According to Bishop Meade ("Old Churches and 
Families in Virginia," ii., 128), he was in America in 1729 ; 
and the letter of the mother of Washington to him in the 
summer of 1760 (see note on page 10) shows that he was 
then living near London. 

Very little is known of the youth and early womanhood 
of Mary Ball. Her father appears to have been a well-to- 
do planter on the left bank of the Rappahannock River, 
near where, a broad stream, its fresh waters commingled 
with the brine of Chesapeake Bay. He was a vestr}man of 
Christ Church, in Lancaster. In a fragment of a list of 
contributions for the support of the minister of that parish 
(Rev. John Bell) in 1712, is the following entry: "Joseph 
Ball, ;^5 '' — a considerable sum for a Virginia planter at 
that time to give for such a purpose. He was commis- 
sioned a colonel by Gov. Alexander Spottswood. and was 
known as " Colonel Ball of Lancaster," to distinguish him 
from another Colonel Ball, his cousin. 

Mary Ball seems to have grown to womanhood in the se- 
rene and healthful seclusion of a well-ordered home in a 
sparsely settled country. Like most of the girls in the col- 
ony at that time, her attainments in "book" learning must 
have been acquired under the parental roof, for early in the 
last century schools were almost unknown in that part of 
our country. Governor Berkeley had, half a century before, 
thanked God there were no free schools nor a printing-press 
in Virginia, and hoped there would not be in a hundred 
years. In 1723 the Bishop of London addressed a circu- 
lar letter to the clergy of Virginia (then more than forty in 



HER EARLY EDUCATION. 



number), making inquiries about the religious and social 
conditions of their people. He inquired, " Are there any 
schools in your parish?" All answered, "none;" two or 
three of them excepting charity schools. Private schools, 
kept at the houses of wealthy gentlemen, taught, perhaps, 
by unmarried clergymen, were all the means provided for 
education outside of the College of William and Mary. 

When Mary Ball was about seventeen years of age she 
wrote to her brother abroad on family matters, and conclud- 
ed her letter as follows : " We have not had a school-mas- 
ter in our neighborhood until now [January 14, 1723] >" 
nearly four years. We have now a young minister living 
with us, who was educated at Oxford, took orders, and came 
over as assistant to Rev. Kemp, at Gloucester. That par- 
ish is too poor to keep both, and he teaches school for his 
board. He teaches sister Susie and me and Madam Carter's 
boy and two girls. I am now learning pretty fast. Mama 
and Susie and I all send love to you and Mary. This from 
your loving sister. 

The education of Mary was evidently defective, but not 
more so than that of the average young women of her class. 
While her chirography was plain and business-like in char- 
acter, her orthography was very defective, even late in life.f 



* Copied from an autograph letter in possession of a friend in Balti- 
more. The spelling is corrected. 

f The following is a literal copy of an autograph letter of Maiy, the 
mother of Washington, to her brother in England, in possession of Dr. 
Thomas Addis Emmet, of New York : 



lO MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

But her career indicates that she had received at home an 
education for the higher duties of life, of far greater value 
and importance than any taught in schools. From her 
mother, who died in 1728, after a widowhood of many years, 
she had doubtless inherited the noblest qualities of mind 
and heart, and had been taught all those domestic virtues of 
which cotemporary testimony and tradition tell us she was 
a bright exemplar — industry, frugality, integrity, strength of 
will and purpose, obedient to the behests of duty, faithful- 
ness, and modesty, and with deep religious convictions. She 



"July 2, 1760. 
"Dear Brother, this Corns by Captain Nickleson. You seem to 
blame me for not wiiteing to you butt I doe ashure you it is Note for a 
want of a very great regard for you and the family, butt as I dont ship 
tobacco the Captains never call on me soe that I never know when tha 
com or when tha goe. I believe you have got a very good overseer at 
this quarter now. Captain Newton has taken a large lease of ground 
from you which I Deare say if you had been hear yourself it had not 
been don. Mr Daniel & his wife & family is well. Cozin Hannah has 
been married & lost her husband. She has one child a boy, pray give 
mv love to Sister Ball & Mr. Downman, his son-in-law & his Lady & I 
am Deare Brother, 



.^^^^^i^rZ^/T- 





'Mn JoBErii Bai.i. Esquibb 
At Stratford by Bow 
Nigh London" 



HER APPEARANCE. 11 

was Strengthened by an abiding faith in the Divine prom- 
ises which made Mary, the mother of Washington, a model 
woman, and yet 

" A Creature not too good 
For human Nature's daily food." 

I have met with only two allusions, in writing, to Mary 
Ball before her marriage. These were in fragments of let- 
ters found in a deserted mansion near the York River dur- 
ing the late Civil War, and sent to me in a small package 
of other old papers of no real value. One of these letters, 
written in a feminine hand, dated " W"^ Burg, ye 7''' of 
Oct"", 1722," began as follows: 

" Dear Sukey — _^ 

Madam Ball of Lancaster.,aJ*^'^er Sweet 
Molly have gone Hom. Mamma tHTnks Molly the Com- 
liest Maiden She Knows. She is about 16 y" old, is taller 
than Me, is verry Sensable, Modest and Loving. Her Hair 
is like unto Flax, Her Eyes are the color of Yours and her 
Chekes are like May blossoms. I wish You could See 
Her." 

The other letter was written by " Lizzie Burwell " to a 
friend. It was so torn and faded as to be almost illegible ; 
only the subjoined part of a sentence could be deciphered : 

" — understand Molly Ball is going Home with her Broth- 
er a Lawyer, who lives in England. Her Mother is Dead 
three Months ago, and her Sister — " 

Here a fragment of the letter was torn off, together with 
all the superscription excepting " Miss Nelly Car." At the 
top of the letter were the words, "tank, May y*^ 15*'^ 1728." 



12 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

This is the sum of my information concerning Marj- Ball 
before her marriage, when she was about twenty-four years 
of a"-e. Of that important event in her life some exceed- 
ingly interesting statements were given to the author of 
this volume a dozen years ago, which he published in the 
form of a communication in the Avicrican Historical Record, 
of which he was then the editor. The communication ap- 
peared in April, 1872, and challenged the attention of gene- 
alogists and biographers, and created considerable discus- 
sion for a while. 

As some of the statements seemed to be hopelessly in- 
volved in improbability, in the absence of supporting testi- 
mony, either in history or tradition, the subject soon ceased 
to attract attention. New light having been cast upon it 
since those statements were published, they assume much 
importance, and they are presented in the next chapter as 
a part of the biography of Mary, the mother of Washington. 



CHAPTER II. 

In December, 1871, while at the house of the late Prof. 
Samuel F. B. Morse, LL.D., in New York City, he called my 
attention to a picture of a young lady in his possession, 
which it was claimed was a portrait of Mary Ball, the moth- 
er of Washington, painted just before her marriage. He 
gave me a brief but interesting history of the picture. Pro- 
fessor Morse also had in his possession a small package of 
documents relating to the portrait, and on my expressing 
great interest in the subject, he kindly handed the papers 
to me, with permission to make such use of them as I might 
choose. From their contents I compiled the communica- 
tion to the American Historical Record alluded to in the 
preceding chapter, the essential portions of which I here re- 
peat. 

Professor Morse received the picture from George Har- 
vey, a painter, to whom it had been bequeathed by George 
Field, of England, known in the republic of letters as the 
author of important works on philosophy and art.* In a 
written history of the picture, given to Professor Morse, Mr. 
Harvey said that while he was in England, in 1847, and lect- 
uring on the " Scenery, Resources, and Progress of the 

* George Field was born in 1777, and died in 1854. He was the au- 
thor of "British School of Modern Artists," 1802; "Chromatics; or. 
Harmony of Colors " (new edition), 1S45 ; " Outlines of Analytical Philos- 
ophy," 1839: •' Tritogenea: A Synopsis of Universal History," 1846, etc. 



14 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

Northern Part of the United States," he made the acquaint- 
ance of Mr. Field, who informed the artist that he possessed 
the portrait of Miss Ball, who became the mother of Wash- 
ington, and invited Mr. Harvey to his home to see it. He 
accepted the invitation, and was struck with the resemblance 
of the features to the best authenticated portraits of Wash- 
ington. Mr. Harvey mentioned the subject to his friends 
on his return to Boston, and to satisfy their incredulity he 
wrote to Mr. Field for an explicit statement, in writing, con- 
cerning the portrait. Mr. Harvey received a response un- 
der the date of " Sion Hill, Feb. 25, 185 1." Mr. Field, then 
seventy-live years of age, wrote : 

" It happened when I was a boy that, being in the neigh- 
borhood of Cookham, in Berkshire, with an uncle of mine, 
he pointed out a pretty country cottage, in which the par- 
ents of General Washington resided, and from which they 
removed to America. Our road led to a green, or common, 
where there resided a Mrs. Ann Morer, whose maiden name 
was Taylor, who there showed me the portrait of Mrs. W^ash- 
ington, and other reliques of the family, given to her when 
they quitted the place for America, to which country her 
aunt or mother, she told me, took George Washington in 
her arms. 

" I believe I use her own expression. Some years after 
this, happening to be in the neighborhood of Cookham, I 
called on Mrs. Morer, who again showed me the portrait, 
and mentioned that two American gentlemen, friends of 
Washington or his family, had sought her out as the nearest 
relative of his nurse, and presented her with two guineas. 

"Again, about 1812, when residing on the edge of Wind- 
sor Forest, my wife hired a servant, Hannah Taylor, and 



HER PORTRAIT. 



15 



finding she came from Cookham, I inquired if she knew Mrs. 
Morer, when I learned that she had recently died and that 
her effects were about to be sold by auction ; on which I re- 
quested Hannah immediately to write to her mother, and 
desire all the pictures to be bought for me — which was done, 
and I obtained the portrait in question with the other heads, 
and have kept them ever since, as I showed it to you. As 
there could have been no purpose beyond the truth in this 
statement, I have never doubted and continue to believe it 
firmly. I have shown the portrait to numberless persons, 
and was induced to address a letter to Judge Washington,* 
at Mount Vernon, in 1824, supposing him to be the repre- 
sentative of the family, offering to restore the picture, but 
did not receive an answer. 

" Mr. Chapman, t an American artist, known to the family, 
took a slight sketch of the head, in which he recognized a 
family likeness of the Washingtons ; nor is it without resem- 
blance to Washington portraits. 

* Bushrod Washington, Judge of the Supreme Court of the United 
States. He inherited the mansion and four thousand acres of the Mount 
Vernon estate at the death of Mrs. Washington. He was a son of 
John Augustine, a brother of the general. He, too, was childless. 

f John Gadsby Chapman, who in 1848 went to Rome to reside, and 
still (1886) lives there. When Mr. Irving made his first arrangements 
for publishing his " Life of Washington," it was agreed to have it freely 
illustrated with engravings on wood, and Mr. Chapman was engaged to 
make the designs. He went to England in search of materials, and it 
was at that time, probably, that he visited Mr. Field. The author of 
this volume was engaged to execute the engravings, and he remembers 
seeing the original sketch of Mary Ball's head and bust made by Chap- 
man. The arrangement with that publisher was ended by his failures 
in business. 



l6 IMARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

" Mr. Justine Carleton, of New Orleans, to whom I show- 
ed the portrait, mentioned, in confirmation of my statements, 
the circumstances of the marriage of Augustine Washington 
with Miss Ball (the parents of the great George Washington) 
in this country, and her emigration with him to America." 

Mr. Harvey permitted extracts from Mr, Field's letter to 
be published in a leading Boston newspaper. He was im- 
mediately so much annoyed by intrusive inquiries that he 
transferred the investigation of the affair to the New Eng- 
land Historic and Genealogical Society. He gave its secre- 
tary (the late T. Wingate Thornton) a letter of introduction 
to Mr. Field. Many letters passed between these gentle- 
men ; and " Mr. Thornton," says Mr. Harvey, " obtained 
much information in America tending to confirm Mr. Field's 
statements." 

By his will, dated January 19, 1852, Mr, Field bequeathed 
the portrait in question to Mr. Harvey, when the artist re- 
solved to make a personal investigation concerning its au- 
thenticity- He went to England in 1853, and visited Cook- 
ham, where, according to tradition given to Mr. Field, the 
parents of Washington resided before they went to Ameri- 
ca, He ascertained that Washingtons had lived at Cook- 
ham. He called upon the rector of the parish church to 
ask leave to examine the parish register. The rector told 
him that " a rascally lawyer had obtained possession of the 
Baptismal and Marriage Register before his (the rector's) 
time, and at a great fire they had been destroyed ; but that 
the records of the deaths of the Washingtons were all safe," 
for the Burial Register was preserved. In this Register 
Mr. Harvey found the names of several Washingtons of 
both se.xes. He also found recorded therein the burial 



AUGUSTINE WASHINGTON. 1 7 

records of several. members of a Ball family who had re- 
sided there. Among them was the following entry : 

"John Ball, was buried 26th of May, 1707. 

" Mary Ball, was buried Oct. 23, 1729." 

Mr. Harvey erroneously supposed these to have been the 
parents of Washington's mother. Her father's name was 
jfoseph, and he was alive and in Virginia as late as 17 11. 
The name of her mother is unknown. It is a rather singu- 
lar coincidence that the year of the death of the above Mary 
Ball was nearly the same as that of Mrs. Washington's 
mother. 

While he was in the vicinity of Cookham, in Berkshire 
County, Mr. Harvey met a very aged man, named Great- 
hurst, who introduced him to a gentleman " who had lived in 
the house where Washington was born ;" and by him he was 
permitted to " copy a drawing of the house, then supplant- 
ed by a pretty villa." In the garden Mr. Harvey saw and 
sketched " a large walnut-tree planted by Augustine Wash- 
ington [the father of General Washington] while a- waiting 
to find a purchaser of the property." Mr. Harvey also as- 
certained (by what means he does not inform us) that Au- 
gustine Washington was in England about the year 1729, for 
the purpose of taking possession and disposing of some 
property to which he had fallen heir. This is the sum of 
information derived from Mr. Harvey. Let us turn for a 
moment to a consideration of what is known of Augustine 
Washington before his marriage with Mary Ball. It is very 
little. 

Augustine Washington was a scion of an ancient family, 
distinguished at times in English history, and descended 
from William de Hertburn, a knight, who possessed the vil- 



i8 



MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 



lage of Wessyngton, in Durham County, and who, according 
to the custom of the period, took the name of his estate. 
Wessyngton in time became Weshington, Wassington, and 
finally Washington.* The Washingtons adhered to the fort- 

* The pedigree of the branch of the Washington family in Virginia 
down to Augustine, the father of the general, is as follows : William 

de Hertburn, Lord of the manor 
of Washington, from whom de- 
scended John Washington of 
Whitefield, of the time of Rich- 
ard III.; Robert of Wharton 
(second son) married daughter 
of Robert Kilson, Esq., time 
of Henry VII.; Lawrence of 
Northampton and Gray's Inn, 
had grants of lands of Sulgrave, 
30th Henry VIII., married Anna, 
daughter of Sir Richard Stanley, 
knight; John of Sulgrave died 3d 
of Edward VI. ; George of Sul- 
grave married Eleanor, daughter 
and heir of John Hastings, grand- 
son of the 2d Earl of Hunting- 
don ; John emigrated to America 
in 1657, married, in 1654, Jane, 
daughter of Sir Hugh Wallace, of 
Bucks — Anne Pope, of Westmore- 
land Co., Va.; Lawrence, of 
Bridge's Creek, married Mildred 
Warner, daughter of Col. Augus- 
tine Warner, of Gloucester Co. 

The Washington coat-of-arms 
in full consists of eleven quar- 
terings, as seen in the above engraving. It is composed of arms of 
families included in the pedigree of General Washington back to 




COMBINED ARMS OF THE WASHINGTON 
FAMILY. 



THE WASHINGTON GENEALOGY. 



19 



unes of the Stuart dynasty during the Civil War. Sir Will- 
iam Washington, of Kent, married the half-sister of the Duke 
of Buckingham, the favorite of Charles I. Sir Henry Wash- 
ington was a young and brave military leader during the 
war, serving under Prince Rupert (nephew of Charles), and 
commanding at the siege af Worcester. After the death of 
Charles many of the loyalists, dissatisfied with the rule of 
Cromwell, emigrated to Virginia, which had remained loyal 
to the Stuarts, where they might live free from molestation. 
Among these emigrants were John and Lawrence Washing- 
ton, younger brothers of Sir William Washington, who reach- 
ed Virginia about the year 1657, and settled at Bridge's 
Creek, on the Potomac River, in Westmoreland County, 
where they bought lands and became successful planters. 
John had resided on an estate in South Cave, in Yorkshire, 



the century immediately succeeding the conquest of England by the 
Normans. The family in Virginia chose for 
its arms the quartering seen in the upper left- 
hand corner of the escutcheon, supposed to be 
the original arms of the family, which consists 
of a white ground, three red mullets or spur- 
rowels (indicating the filial distinction of the 
tliird son), and two red horizontal bars. The 
crest is composed of a helmet surmounted by 
a ducal coronet, out of which proceeds a soar- 
ing raven. Washington had his arms so paint- 
ed on his English coach, a copy of which is 
here given. The legend — ExciTUS acta 
PROBAT: "Actions are tested by their results" 
— is most appropriate for the arms of Wash- 
ington. The words are from Ovid — a part of 
a love-letter from a young princess of Thrace to her negligent lover, a 
prince of Athens. 




WASHINGTON S ARMS. 



20 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

an ancient seat of the Washingtons.* Lawrence had been 
a student at Oxford, and in 1654 had married Jane, daugh- 
ter of Sir Hugh Wallace. 

John Washington was an energetic man, possessed of 
military genius and taste. Eighteen years after his arrival 




CAVE CASTLE. 



in the colony a serious incursion of the fierce Seneca In- 
dians from the upper waters of the Susquehannah River 



* Cave Castle, the residence of the ^Yashingtons, is north of the Hum- 
ber, and is said to be well preserved. It is a massive, square structure 
of stone, in the mural style, with a battlemented tower at each corner, 
and three stories in height. Its timber is chiefly of oak, and in several 
of the rooms, particularly in the large hall or banqueting room, are re- 
mains of rich carvings and gilding in the cornices and wainscoting. 
Over the mantle-pieces, elaborately carved, are the family arms, richly 
emblazoned upon escutcheons. The walls of the house are five feet 
thick. It stands on an eminence, commanding an extensive view of the 
picturesque countrj' around it. The castle is surrounded by beautiful 
gardens and orchards. 



HER MARRIAGE. 21 

threatened the colonies of Maryland and Virginia with des- 
olation, if not destruction. John Washington commanded 
a Virginia force to repel the invaders, and was successful. 
As a reward for his services he was commissioned colonel, 
and in his honor the parish in which he resided was named 
Washington. He married Miss Anne Pope, of Westmore- 
land, by whom he had two sons, Lawrence and John, and 
one daughter. The elder son, Lawrence, married Mildred, 
daughter of Colonel Augustine Warner, of Gloucester 
County, and had three children, John, Augustine, and Mil- 
dred. ^ 

Augustine Washington was born in 16^4, and at the age 
of twenty-one years married Jane, daughter of Caleb Butler, 
of Westmoreland County. They had four children— three 
sons and one daughter : Butler, who died in infancy, Law- 
rence, Augustine, and Jane, the latter dying in early child- 
hood. Their mother died in November, 1728^ when her 
husband was about thirty-four years of age. 

In 1792, President Washington, by request, sent to Sir 
Isaac Heard, Garter King of Arms, in London, a genealogi- 
cal table of the Washington family in Virginia, In it occur 
these words : 

"Jane, wife of Augustine [Washington], died November 24, 1728, 
and was buried in the family vault at Bridge's Creek. Augustine then 
married M ary Ball, March 6 , 1730." 

No hint is given as to where this marriage took place, 
nor is there any known record extant that can answer the 
question. Where were Augustine Washington and Mary 
Ball wedded ? There is no tradition that can answer, ex- 
cepting that given by Mr. Harvey that they were married 
in England. 



MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 







We have observed an intima- 
tion in a fragment of a letter 
(see page ii) that Mary Ball 
went to England with her 
brother in 1728, and Mr. Har- 
vey ascertained at Cookham 
that Augustine Washington 
was there in 1729; also that 
families of Washingtons and 
Balls had lived and been bur- 
ied there. He also ascertained 
that Augustine Washington 
tarried there to efifect the sale 
of some property he had fallen 
heir to. In Virginia the Wash- 
ington and Ball families lived 
in adjoining counties, and were 
doubtless personally acquaint- 
ed with each other. The ques- 
tion naturally arises, " May not 
Augustine Washington and 
Mary Ball have met in Eng- 
land and married there ?" 

When George Washington 
was about seventeen years of 
age, he wrote the following 
sentence in his mother's Bible, 
in a fair, regular, round hand, 
unlike his writing of a later 
period : 

" George Washington, Son 



Washington's birthplace and baptism. 23 

to Augustine and Mary his Wife, was born y'^ ii^'' Day of 
February, 173^ about 10 in tlie morning & was Baptized on 
the 3'^ of April following, M"" Beverley Whiting & Cap'' 
Christopher Brooks Godfather, & M''" Mildred Gregory, 
Godmother."* And in the genealogical table which he 
sent to Sir Isaac Heard in 1792, he wrote : " George, eldest 
son of Augustine by the second marriage, was born in 
Westmoreland County," etc. 

Where was Washington born and baptized ? There is 
no known official record that can solve the question. There 
is no tradition that helps to solve it, excepting the state- 
ment of Washington quoted above, and that of Mrs. Morer, 
who says he was born in Cookham, and was carried to 
America in the arms of either her " aunt or mother." How 
trustworthy is the tradition of the latter, let us see. 

Mrs. Morer died in 181 2, eighty years after the birth of 
Washington. She must have been a very young child when, 
as she says, her "aunt or mother" went to America as a 

* On the discussion of this subject some years ago, the statement in 
the family Bible that Washington was born on the nth of February and 
was baptized on the (apparently) 3d of April, made the story of his birth 
in England highly improbable, for it gave the mother only fifty-one or 
fifty-two days to recover sufficiently from the effects of childbirth, make 
a long voyage of those times at that inclement season of the year, and 
prepare for and effect the baptism. There is internal evidence in the 
entry in the Bible that the writer intended to add another numeral to 
the figure 3 in the date of the baptism. A fac-simile of that entry is 
here given. It may be observed that after the figure " 3 " are the let- 
ters " th " instead of " rd," as they should have been if the act occurred 
on the 3d. The writer probably intended to write the " 30th," but in- 
advertently omitted the cipher. If so, there was ample time for the cir- 
cumstances of the birth, the voyage, and the baptism to occur. 



24 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

nurse for him — too young, too, to be the hkely recipient, as 
she says she was, of the portrait of Mary Ball and "other 
relicks- of the [Washington] family." Mr. Field was born 
in 1777. He received the story from Mrs. Morey's lips 
when he was " a boy," say eighteen years of age, when, ac- 
cording to her narrative, she must have been fully seventy- 
five years old. Would any court receive testimony of this 
nature as trustworthy ? 

It lacked only about a month of being two years from the 
time of the marriage of Washington's parents until his birth, 
or fully three years after his father went to England. Au- 
gustine had left in Virginia his large estate and various 
concerns, and his two sons, one about seven years and the 
other about nine years of age. Would he be likely to re- 
main abroad so long, neglectful of his family and estate, to 
receive and dispose of some property in England which he 
had inherited ? 

Does it not seem probable that Augustine Washington 
and Mary Ball were married in England, and after tarrying 
there a while to dispose of some property, returned to Vir- 
ginia, where their first child was born and baptized, two 
years after their wedding ? 

The portrait in question, in the possession of the family 
of Professor Morse, bears weighty circumstantial testimony 
in favor of its being the likeness of Mary Ball. It is a 
three-quarter length, in a sitting posture, of a comely young 
woman from twenty-two to twenty-five years of age. Her 
figure and pose denote physical perfection. Her costume 
is of the Sir Peter Lely, or, rather, the Sir Godfrey Kneller 
style — low bosom, short oversleeves, etc. Her dress is of 
the shadow -of -gold color; her hair is of auburn tint, or 



THE PAINTER OF HER PORTRAIT. 35 

rather of a blonde, harmonizing with her complexion, and her 
eyes blue or rich gray. This corresponds with a descrip- 
tion of her person when she was about sixteen years old, 
given in the fragment of a letter cited on page 12. The 
form and general expression of her face, especially of the 
forehead, eyes, and nose, are those of Washington's, in a 
remarkable degree as portrayed by Houdon in his statue at 
Richmond made from a cast from the living face, and by 
Rembrandt Peale, whose portrait of the Great Leader was 
painted while he was President, and which was pronounced 
by the patriot's most intimate friends the best likeness of 
him ever produced. She holds between her forefinger and 
thumb, very daintily, a pretty white flower. 

Mr. Harvey expressed to Professor Morse his belief that 
the picture was painted by Thomas Hudson,* the most pop- 
ular portrait-painter in London after the death of Sir God- 
frey Kneller, in 1723. His pictures were familiar to Har- 
vey ; so, also, they were to Professor Morse, who had 
studied them in London. As we stood before the portrait, 
Professor Morse pointed out some technical features in the 
execution of the picture observed by both himself and Mr, 



* Thomas Hudson was a native of Devonshire, where he was born in 
1701. He became a pupil of Jonathan Richardson, an eminent English 
portrait-painter, and married his daughter. He soon excelled his mas- 
ter in imagination and in the graceful pose of his subjects, and be- 
came the most fashionable portrait-painter in the English metropolis. 
Hudson was the tutor of Sir Joshua Reynolds, who finally effected such 
a revolution in art in England that his master's popularity was over- 
thrown. Hudson had made a fortune. He abandoned the profession 
and retired to his estate at Twickenham, where he died at the age of 
nearly fourscore. 



26 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

Harvey, confirmatory of their belief that it was one of Hud- 
son's prockictions. 

At the time of Mary Ball's sojourn in England, Hudson 
had a summer residence in Berkshire County, in the neigh- 
borhood of the residences of the Washingtons and Balls. 
May not one of the latter have employed him to paint the 
portrait of their charming Virginia kinswoman ? Professor 
Morse expressed his strong conviction that this picture is a 
portrait of Mary Ball, which had somehow fallen into the 
possession of Mrs. Morer, and through Mr. Field and Mr. 
Harvey had come to him. And so satisfied am I by the 
weight of concurrent testimony that it is a portrait of the 
pretty Virginia girl whom Augustine Washington married 
in 1730, that I venture to offer a copy of it in this volume 
as a genuine likeness of the person of the mother of Wash- 
injrton. 



CHAPTER III. 

The home plantation of Augustine Washington stretched 
along the Potomac River more than a mile between i'ope's 
and Bridge's creeks. The river is there a broad stream, 
and was then largely fringed by the primeval forest. Its 
waters abounded with the choicest fishes. This farm of a 
thousand acres was in the northern part of Westmoreland 
County, a narrow shire afterwards distinguished as the 
birthplace of two Presidents of the United States (Washing- 
ton and Monroe) and of several Lees who were prominent 
actors in the early history of our republic. Of these, Rich- 
ard Henry Lee, author of the resolution for independence 
offered in the Congress in 1776; Arthur Lee, M.D., a dip- 
lomatic agent for the Continental Congress abroad ; and 
" Legion Harry," a brave and dashing young cavalry leader 
in the old war for independence, were the most conspicuous. 
The dwelling to which Mr. Washington took his young 
wife was a very modest one, yet it ranked among the best 
of Virginia farm-houses at that time. It had four rooms 
and a spacious attic, with an enormous chimney at each 
end. On the river front was a piazza. It was perfectly 
plain at all points. The only approach to ornamentation 
was a Dutch tiled chimney-piece in the "best room." 

The bride found at her new home a middle-aged kins- 
woman of her husband in charge of his two fine boys, Law- 
rence and Augustine. There was an ample supply of men 



28 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASWINGTON. 

and women servants. The,Mrooms were neatly furnished, 
and in one of them was a small c'oirection of books, chiefly 
devotional in chapter. Among them was a -copy of Sir 
Mathew Hale's " Contemplaliqns. Moral and Divine," on 
the fly-leaf of which Augustine's first wife had written her 
name in bold characters. Immediately under this signrftui^ 
the new mistress of the household wrote "and Mary Wash- 
ington," in an equally bold hand. I saw this volume and 
copied the signatures many years ago, at Mount Vernon. 
From that volume the mother of Washington undoubtedly 
drew, as from a living well of sweet water, many of the 
maxims which she instilled into the mind of her first-born, 
who became illustrious. It was in this modest home on the 
banks of the Potomac that Mary Washington gave birth to 
that son in the winter of 1732. 

The blessings of children were rapidly showered upon the 
happy couple, and filled their hearts with joy. Their sec- 
ond child (Elizabeth) was born in June, 1733, and their 
third child in November, 1734. On a breezy morning in ^' 
April, the next year, while servants were burning some refuse 
in the garden, near the house, some sparks fell upon the 
dry shingles of the low roof of the dwelling and set it on 
fire. While servants were vainly endeavoring to quench 
the flames, the mistress with her cook and maid removed 
all the furniture to a safe distance. The master was absent 
at the time. When he returned at noon, his home was a 
heap of ashes, and the family dined in the kitchen — a small 
cabin near by. 

Prosperity had blessed the happy pair. Frugality and 
industry had prevailed in the household. Augustine Wash- 
ington had managed his affairs prudently. He had added 



V 



Washington's first school-teacher. 



2.9 



acre to acre, and possessed lands in adjoining counties. 
He owned an estate in Stafford County, nearly opposite 
Fredericksburg, and on it was a dwelling almost exactly like 
the one which had been consumed. It stood on the brow 
of a steep slope of the left bank of the Rappahannock 
River, in sight of the town. Thither Mr. Washington con- 




THE WASHINGTON RESIDENCE NEAR FREDERICKSBURG. 

veyed his family, and there he made his home during the 
remainder of his life. It was in Overvvharton parish. One 
of the chapels of that parish was near the residence of 
Washington. The sexton of the chapel was Master Hobby, 
the first school-teacher of George Washington. He reigned 
over an " old field " school-house — a log building — as a ped- 
agogue for many years. He had a sort of bullet head and 
a vast amount of self-esteem. Master Hobby was regarded 
with great reverence by his pupils as "wondrous wise," 
and as they gazed at him while quaint words of wisdom 

dropped from his lips, 

" Still the wonder grew 
How his small head could carrj' all he knew." 

When Master Hobby became an old man he often boasted 
that he was "the making of General Washington." 



3° 



MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 



At their Stafiford home Augustine and Mary Washington 
enjoyed their sweet domestic life for eight years longer, and 
there three more children were born- -John Augustine, in 
Januar}', 17365 Charles, in May, 1738; and Mildred, in June, 
1739. Mildred died in the autumn of the next year. 

Nearly eighty years after the birthplace of George Wash- 
ington was destroyed, his foster-son, the late George Wash- 
ington Parke Custis, placed a memorial stone on the site 
of the dwelling, bearing the following inscription : 













It was on a beautiful June day in 1815 when Mr. Custis 
and three other gentlemen sailed from Alexandria in his 
own little vessel, with the memorial stone wrapped in an 
American fiag, and landing at a convenient place, bore it 
to the destined spot. They gathered a few bricks from the 
ruins of one of the ancient chimneys and constructed a rude 
pedestal on which they laid the stone in a recumbent posi- 
tion. With a few words Mr. Custis commended this Jjrst 
motminmt erected to the memory of Washington to the care 
of the American people and the citizens of Westmoreland 
in particular. 



DEATH OF WASHINGTON'S FATHER. 31 

When I visited the spot many years ago, it was a scene 
of desolation. There was a solitary chimney standing like 
a guardian of the place. The memorial stone was broken 
and almost concealed by tangled vines, briers, and rank 
weeds, and all around the hallowed spot were wild shrubs, 
the remains of some fig-trees, with here and there a stunted 
cedar sapling. The vault of the Washington family, at 
Bridge's Creek, nearly a mile distant, was in an open field, 
and so dilapidated that some of the remains were exposed 
to view ; and near by were broken slabs with the names of 
some of the Washingtons inscribed upon them, which had 
been set up as mementos of affection and respect. The 
vault could be distinguished only by the top of a brick arch 
rising just above the ground. The old Pope's Creek church 
in which the first three children of Mary Washington had 
been baptized had long since fallen into ruin. 

One day early in April, 1743, Mr, Washington rode sev- 
eral hours in a cold rain storm. He became drenched and 
chilled. Before midnight he was tortured with terrible 
pains, for his exposure had brought on a fierce attack of 
hereditary gout. The next day he was burned with fever. 
His malady ran its course rapidly, and on the 12th he died 
at the age of forty-nine years. His body was laid in the 
family vault at Bridge's Creek, 

This sudden and unexpected affliction tried the character 
of Mary Washington by a sharp ordeal. She was then 
thirty-seven years of age. Her brave heart never failed her. 
She endured the stroke without a murmur and with calm 
fortitude. She submitted to the Divine Will with the 
strength of a philosopher and the trustfulness of a Chris- 
tian. None knew the depth of her anguish from outward 



32 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

manifestations, nor the poignancy of the grief that assailed 
her heart and mind by any uttered word. With subhme 
dependence on Omnipotence — with 

" Heart within and God o'erhead — " 

she seemed aUke indifferent to the smitings of alBiction and 
the tenderness of human sympathy. Above all the tumult 
of emotion she heard the commands of Duty and obeyed 
them. She had five children of her own, the eldest (George) 
only eleven years of age, who were left to her sole care and 
guidance. She also had two step-sons (Lawrence and Au- 
gustine) who had grown to manhood, but who yet looked 
reverently to her for the wise counsel and advice with which 
she had ever directed them. 

Augustine Washington left an ample estate for his widow 
and children. Each of his sons inherited from him a sep- 
arate farm. To the eldest, Lawrence, he bequeathed an 
estate near Hunting Creek, afterwards called Mount Ver- 
non, which then consisted of twenty- five hundred acres, 
and also other lands, and shares in productive iron-works 
situated in Virginia and Maryland. The second son (Au- 
gustine) had for his part the "home farm" in Westmoreland. 
To George he left the lands and home where his father 
lived at the time of his death, near Fredericksburg, and to 
each of his other sons a landed estate of six or seven hun- 
dred acres. He made a suitable provision for his surviving 
daughter, Elizabeth. The whole family were left in a state 
of comparative independence. Having confidence in the 
prudence of their mother, he directed that the proceeds of 
all the property of her children should be at her disposal 
until they should attain their majority. 



CHARACTER OF MARY WASHINGTON. 33 

The energies of Mary Washington were now wholly de- 
voted to the welfare of her' family. She directed the edu- 
cation of her children largely at her knee and sometimes 
by the aid of private tutors. She regulated their amuse- 
ments and physical exercises, so as to secure bodily health 
and energy. She taught them to be obedient and self-re- 
liant; to be industrious, honest, just, and truthful ; to love 
God supremely and their kind tenderly, and to be good and 
generous to all living creatures. She held a firm hand in 
the enforcement of discipline, but it was never otherwise 
than kindly in its operations. There was a dignity, a maj- 
esty, and a benignity in her mien and deportment at all 
times which inspired beholders with respect, awe, love, and 
admiration, such as afterwards distinguished her illustrious 
first-born son. Lawrence Washington, of Chotank, wrote 
towards the close of the last century : 

" I was often here [at the home on the Rappahannock] 
with George, his playmate, schoolmate, and young man's 
companion. Of the mother I was more afraid than of my 
own parents ; she awed me in the midst of her kindness ; 
and even now, when time has whitened my locks, and I am 
the grandfather of a second generation, I could not behold 
that majestic woman without feelings it is impossible to 
describe." 

Others bore similar testimony concerning the character of 
this noble matron ; and General Washington himself attrib- 
uted his success in life to the moral, intellectual, and phys- 
ical education which he received from his mother. Indeed, 
experience and observation teach us that the mother gives 
tone to the character of the child. To the latest hour of 
her life her distinguished son regarded her not only with 

3 



34 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

the most grateful filial affection, but with deferential respect 
as his superior. His letters to her when in the public serv- 
ice always began with the words " Honored Madam," and 
he addressed her with the same deference in his personal 
intercourse with her. 

Mary Washington corresponded with her brother Joseph, 
in England, quite frequently after her husband's death, for 
she seems to have relied much upon his judgment, particu- 
larly in matters concerning the management of her estate. 
In a letter to her, written at the close of the summer of 1743, 
he appears to answer some questions she had propounded 
to him concerning a settlement with her step-son, Lawrence 
Washington, who, on July 19th the same year, had married 
Anne, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of the Hon. 
William Fairfax, and was settled on his estate near Hunting 
Creek, which he had named " Mount Vernon." 

Lawrence seems to have inherited the military spirit of 
the Washington family. War between England and Spain 
was raging when he attained his majority. Admiral Ver- 
non, commander-in-chief of the naval forces in the West 
Indies, captured Porto Bello, on the Isthmus of Darien, in 
1740. Spain, resolved to strike England an avenging blow, 
obtained the aid of France. England and her American 
colonies were aroused. Four regiments for service in the 
West Indies were authorized to be raised in the colonies. 

With the approbation of his father, Lawrence Washington 
obtained a captain's commission in the Virginia regiment, 
and embarked for the West Indies in 1741, to serve under 
General Wentworth, who, with Admiral Vernon, command- 
ed a joint land and naval expedition against Cartagena, in 
South America. That expedition was most disastrous. 



LAWRENCE WASHINGTON AND MOUNT VERNON. 



35 



Fully twenty thousand English soldiers and seamen per- 
ished by a pestilence that broke out among them. Law- 
rence Washington escaped with his life, but received into 
his system the seeds of a malady against which he contend- 
ed for ten years, and then yielded. He returned in 1742. 
He had won the esteem of both the admiral and the gen- 
eral, and he kept up a correspondence with the former for 
several years. Lawrence intended to go to England and 
join the regular army and seek preferment, but love, which 

" rules the court, the camp, the grove. 

And man below and saints above," 

changed his destiny. He became betrothed to the beauti- 
ful Anne. The nuptials were about to be celebrated, when 
his father died, and they were postponed until midsummer. 




THE FIRST MANSION AT MOUNT VERNON. 



He erected a plain, substantial mansion on the highest emi- 
nence along the Potomac front of his estate, nearly one hun- 
dred feet above the river. The house was two stories in 
height, had four rooms on each floor, and dormer windows 



36 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

in the gambrel roof to light a spacious garret. It had a 
small porch in front, and a chimney at each end, built inside, 
contrary to the prevailing custom. In honor of the gallant 
admiral he named this beautiful seat Mount Vernon. 

Mary Washington's eldest son, George, grew up a sturdy 
youth ; well - proportioned in person, healthful and strong 
from much out-of-door exercise, courageous, obedient, and 
truthful. Mr. Custis relates that when Washington was a 
lad he attempted to tame a valuable and vicious young 
horse which had grown almost to maturity unbroken, and 
was highly prized by Madam W^ashington because it was 
of a blooded race which her husband had bred. He was a 
sorrel colt, of a fierce and ungovernable nature, and it was 
generally believed he could not be tamed. Early one sum- 
mer morning, young Washington and two or three boys who 
were visiting him were admiring the pretty colt in the field, 
when George said if they would assist him in confining the 
animal and putting a bridle-bit in his mouth, he would mount 
him. It was done. The colt was driven into a small en- 
closure, the bridle was securely adjusted, and young Wash- 
ington bestrode his back. The startled and angered beast, 
loosed from his thrall, rushed madly into the field, but was 
soon curbed by the strong arms of the boy on his back, rid- 
ing without a saddle. Then there was a fearful struggle, 
the colt rearing and plunging in vain efforts to dislodge his 
rider. Finally, making a desperate effort, the colt burst a 
blood-vessel and fell, dying, to the ground. 

The group of boys, excepting George, were greatly alarm- 
ed by this event. While the others were debating what to 
say to Madam Washington, George had instantly decided 
what to do— be courageous, frank, and truthful. They were 



YOUNG WASHINGTON AND AN UNTAMED COLT. 37 




YOUNG WASHINGTON AND THE COLT. 



soon summoned to breakfast. The mother, ignorant of what 
had happened, said to the boys, in a cheerful manner, 

"Pray, young gentlemen, have you seen my blooded colts 
in your rambles? I hope they are well taken care of; my 
favorite, I am told, is as large as his sire." 



38 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

There was much embarrassment among the lads when 
the question was repeated. George immediately replied, 

" Your favorite, madam, is dead," 

" Dead !" she exclaimed ; " how has this happened ?" 

" That sorrel horse," said George, in a calm tone of voice, 
" has long been considered ungovernable, and beyond the 
power of man to tame him. We forced a bit into his mouth 
this morning. I mounted him and rode him around the 
field, and in a desperate struggle for the mastery he broke 
a blood-vessel, fell under me, and died." 

The mother's cheek flushed for a moment, when she said 
to her boy, 

" It is well ; but while I regret the loss of my favorite 
animal, I rejoice in my son who always speaks the truth." 

This incident vividly illustrates the character of both the 
mother and her son. 

Little George Washington was a much petted visitor at 
Mount Vernon, for Lawrence loved him tenderly, and after 
their father's death he took a parental interest in his affairs. 
He was under his brother's roof much of the time. There 
and at Belvoir, the elegant seat of the Fairfaxes, the spright- 
ly boy was a favorite, and he enjoyed the great advantage 
of being in a refined social circle, where he became accus- 
tomed, at that susceptible period of his life, to the amenities 
of English society in its best phases. This had a marked 
influence upon his future character. At Mount Vernon his 
brother's companions-in-arms and naval officers were fre- 
quent guests. Their conversation upon martial deeds 
stimulated the inborn military spirit of the lad and an in- 
tense desire for adventure. Lawrence and Fairfax both 
encourafjed the emotion. 



YOUNG WASHINGTON AND THE BRITISH NAVY. 39 

Believing the British navy to be a promising field for the 
advancement of young Washington, Lawrence proposed to 
his mother that he enter it. Her maternal feelings recoiled 
from the contemplation. George was her first-born child, 
and gave great promise of comfort to her. She was willing 
to make any reasonable self-sacrifice for his benefit, yet 
she could not endure the thought of surrendering him at 
that tender age to the rough life and the temptations to 
which he would be exposed, beyond the influence of a 
mother's tender care and advice. She hesitated long, but 
the earnest pleadings of the boy and the assurance of 
friends, especially of her physician, Dr. Spencer, that the 
step would redound to his great advantage, together with 
her own strong desire to be dutiful and just, caused her to 
finally yield her reluctant consent. Late in 1746, when 
George was nearly fourteen years of age, Lawrence pro- 
cured for him a midshipman's warrant. 

The ensuing winter was passed in joyous preparations by 
young Washington for entering upon his new sphere in life. 
At times his mother's fortitude became very weak. An in- 
timate friend of the family at Fredericksburg (Robert Jack- 
son) wrote to Lawrence : 

" I am afraid Mrs. Washington will not keep up to her 
first resolution. She seems to dislike George's going to 
sea, and says several persons have told her it was a bad 
scheme. She offers several trifling objections, such as a 
fond, unthinking mother habitually suggests, and I find 
that one word against his going has more weight than ten 
for it." 

At this juncture a letter received from her brother in 
London, dated May 19, 1747, settled the matter. He wrote : 



40 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

" I understand that you are advised and have some 
thoughts of putting your son George to sea. I think he 
had better be put apprentice to a tinker, for a common sail- 
or before the mast has by no means the common liberty of 
the subject ; for they will press him from ship to ship, 
where he has fifty shillings a month, and make him take 
twenty-three, and cut and slash and use him like a negro, or 
rather like a dog. And as to any considerable preferment 
in the navy, it is not to be expected, as there are always so 
many gaping for it here who have interest, and he has none. 
And if he should get to be master of a Virginia ship (which 
it is very difficult to do), a planter who has three or four 
hundred acres of land and three or four slaves, if he be in- 
dustrious, may live more comfortably, and leave his family 
in better bread than such a master of a ship can. . . . He 
must not be too hasty to be rich, but go on gently and with 
patience, as things will naturally go. This method, without 
aiming at being a fine gentleman before his time, will carry 
a man more comfortably and surely through the world than 
going to sea, unless it be a great chance indeed. I pray 
God keep you and yours. 

" Your loving brother, 

"Joseph Ball." 

The writer of this letter evidently mistook the intended 
destination of the boy, supposing it to be the merchant in- 
stead of the naval service ; but his argument was so cogent 
and so congenial to her feelings that Madam Washington 
resolved not to let her son go to sea. When this letter ar- 
rived, young Washington was at the point of departure in a 
British ship-of-war lying in the Potomac. His luggage was 
on board. His mother's later decision, kindly but firmly 
communicated, greatly disappointed her son, but with filial 



THE DESTINY OF WASHINGTON. 



41 



love and ready obedience he acquiesced and returned to his 
studies. He was destined by Heaven for a far nobler ca- 
reer than man had conceived for him. 

This incident ilkistrates the truth of the familiar apo- 
thegm, " Man proposes but God disposes." 



CHAPTER IV. 

Unselfish, generous, and wise, Mary Washington most 
cheerfully allowed her son to leave the shelter of her roof 
and her absolute paternal guidance, before he was sixteen 
years of age, to engage in an arduous and even perilous pur- 
suit for which his later studies had fitted him. He had a 
decided taste for mathematics. A private tutor (Master 
Williams) was employed to teach him the science, and young 
Washington's practical mind soon developed in him a genius 
for its profitable use. When he left school he lived almost 
continually with his half-brother Lawrence, at Mount Vernon, 
and with the Fairfaxes, at Belvoir. By persistent study and 
home practice he became an expert land-surveyor, a profes- 
sion then much employed and well remunerated in Virginia. 

Lord Thomas Fairfax, a tall, quaint, near-sighted man, 
sixty years of age, who had been made misanthropic by dis- 
appointment in a love-affair in early life, was now in Vir- 
ginia. He owned immense tracts of land in the rich valleys 
of the Alleghany Mountains. He had been educated at 
Oxford, and was a contributor to Addison's Spectator. Re- 
solved to live in seclusion, he built a lodge in the midst 
of ten thousand acres in the wilderness, which he called 
" Greenway Court," as preliminary to the erection of a 
manor-house. He was an inveterate fox-hunter, and enter- 
tained with generous hospitality all visitors, especially dev- 
otees of the chase. 



LORD FAIRFAX AT GREENWAY COURT. 43 

Young Washington became a favorite of Lord Thomas. 
He was athletic, possessed of great powers of endurance, 
was fond of hunting and expert in the chase, and he soon 
became useful to his lordship as a surveyor of his lands. 
Many and long were the pursuits of Lord Fairfax and his 
bright young companion after the fox and the deer, until 
the youth was called into the public service at a time peril- 
ous to the English settlers in Virginia. 

Fairfax continued to live at Greenway Court during the 
storms of the French and Indian War and the Revolution, 
and died there, early in 1782, at the age of ninety years. 
He was a stanch loyalist. When he heard of the surren- 
der of Cornwallis to his young friend Washington, he said 
to his favorite body-servant, " Come, Joe, put me to bed, for 
I'm sure it is high time for me to die !" He soon after- 
wards expired. His death was commemorated in a ballad : 

" Then up rose Joe all at the word, 

And took his master's arm, ' 

And to his bed he softly led 

The lord of Greenway Farm. s.wjlv'^ 

Then thrice he called on Britain's name, ' ^ 

And thrice he wept full sore ; 
Then sighed, ' Oh, Lord, thy will be done,' 

And word spake nevermore !" 

At the age of about sixteen, young Washington was ap- 
pointed to the honorable and lucrative office of public sur- 
veyor. He made his home with his brother at Mount Ver- 
non, because it was nearer the scene of his labors, but he 
often visited his mother, and gave her great assistance in 
the superintendence of her affairs. When he was about 
nineteen years old he was commissioned a major by Gov- 



44 



MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 



ernor Dinwiddie, of Virginia, and placed in charge of a mil- 
itary district, with a salary of $750 a year. His duty was to 
drill the people in military tactics, for the French and In- 
dians on the Virginia frontier were showing signs of positive 
hostility to the English. He had just entered upon this 
duty when the failing health of Lawrence compelled that 
gentleman, by the advice of his physician, to seek its resto- 
ration in the West Indies. 
He desired George to ac- 
company him. They start- 
ed for Barbadoes in Sep- 
tember, 1751. 

The relief sought was 
not obtained. His malady 
increased, and as soon as 
George recovered from an 
attack of small -pox, Law- 
rence sent him home for 
his wife. A letter was 
soon received from Law- 
rence conveying the sad 
intelligence that he was 
no better, and would im- 
mediately return to his 
home in Virginia. He ar- 
rived there at near midsummer, 1752, and died in July, at 
the age of thirty-four years. His remains were deposited 
in a vault which he had constructed at Mount Vernon. 

Three of Lawrence's four children had died in infancy. 
To the survivor, a daughter, he bequeathed the Mount 
Vernon estate, with the proviso that, in the event of her 




LAWRENCE WASHINGTON. 



ELIZABETH WASHINGTON AND FIELDING LEWIS. 45 

death without issue, its domain and other lands should 
become the property of his half-brother George. That 
contingency soon occurred. The estate of Mount Vernon, 
with the paternal plantation on the Rappahannock, caused 
George Washington to rank among the wealthiest land- 
owners in Virginia. 

Meanwhile the mother of Washington had been carefully 
training the remainder of her children for the duties of life, 
and had managed her estate with great judgment. When 
the French and Indian War ended (1760), in which her first- 
born had gained much renown, her children were all young 
men and women. Elizabeth, her second child, grew to wom- 
anhood beautiful, majestic in person, and lovely in mental 
and moral qualities. Later in life she so much resembled 
her brother George that, putting on his long military cloak 
and his chapeau, she would often deceive her most intimate 
friends, who mistook her for the general. Elizabeth (com- 
monly called Betty) became the second wife of Colonel 
Fielding Lewis, a wealthy merchatit of Fredericksburg, who 
owned half the town and much adjoining territory. He was 
an ardent patriot, and during the war for independence he 
superintended the manufacture of arms at Fredericksburg. 
The site of this establishment in the suburbs of the town 
near the railway is known as " Gunney Green." 

Mr. Lewis was the first mayor of Fredericksburg, a local 
magistrate for many years, and often represented his district 
in the Virginia Legislature. He built an elegant an\i spa- 
cious mansion for his young bride on the border of the vil\ 
lage, which is still known as the " Kenmore House." It 
was built in the most substantial manner and of the best 
materials. It was tastefully ornamented within and without, 



46 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

and adorned with frescos by artists brought from England 
for the purpose. Its beauty has faded, but it still attracts 
visitors because of its associations with the family of Wash- 
ington. There Colonel Lewis died, about a month before 
the surrender of Cornwallis, late in 1 781, at the age of for- 
t5^-five years. His son George was commander of Washing- 
ton's Life Guard at one time. 

The kindling of the French and Indian War disturbed the 
repose of the mother of Washington, for her eldest son be- 
came actively engaged in it from the beginning. Involving 
as it did his personal safety and his reputation, his mother's 
mind was filled with keenest anxiety, which at times amount- 
ed to actual alarm and distress. 

Before the gathering tempest of war burst forth, young 
Washington had been engaged in a most arduous and peril- 
ous public mission. The building of forts by the French 
in the Indian country south of Lake Erie alarmed the Eng- 
lish colonists, especially those of Pennsylvania and Virginia, 
whose frontiers were in that region, and in the autumn of 
1753 the vigilant Governor Dinwiddle,* of the latter prov- 
ince, resolved to send a letter of remonstrance to the 
French commander, St. Pierre. It was a mission requiring 



* Robert Dinwiddie was born in Scotland about 1690. He was ap- 
pointed Governor of Virginia in 1752. He had been surveyor of the 
customs of the colony and a member of the council as early as 1742. 
He was an irritable, ambitious, and grasping man, and when he left 
Virginia, early in 1758, "worn out with vexation and age," he was 
charged by his enemies (and these were legion) with having converted 
to his own use a very large sum of money transmitted through his hands 
by the imperial government for reimbursement of moneys expended by 
the colonists. He died in England in 1770. 



WASHINGTON ON A PERILOUS MISSION. 



47 



courage, diplomatic skill, vigilance, and wisdom, and the 
governor chose Major Washington, then not twenty -two 
years of age, for the important task. He was summoned to 
Williamsburg at near the close of October, • stopping to 
visit his mother on his v/ay thither. His sister Betty, who 
was present at that interview, wrote to a friend that the 
deportment of their mother on that occasion was admi- 
rable. Although her mind was evidently filled with the 
deepest anxiety — for she could imagine the fearful perils 
to which her son would be exposed — perils by storm and 
flood, and barbarians incited to violence by Gallic enemies — 
she manifested no uncom- 
mon emotion. Calm, dig- 
nified, and serious, as usu- 
al, in her demeanor, she 
had an unfathomable depth 
of affection for her chil- 
dren, but it was always 
subordinate to duty. As 
her son arose to depart, she 
laid her hand gently upon 
his broad shoulder, and 
said, with an unfaltering 
voice, "Remember, George, 
God only is our sure trust ; 
to him 1 commend you." 

With Jacob Vanbraam, his Dutch fencing-master, as inter- 
preter, and five or six other men, Major Washington de- 
parted on the last day of October, and returned to Williams- 
burg forty-one days afterwards with his mission so admirably 
executed that he received the plaudits of the governor and 




48 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

the council. Terrible had been the sufferings of the little 
party in crossing the rugged mountains piled with snows, 
thridding tangled, half-frozen morasses, and crossing swollen 
streams made more savage by floating ice. Washington 
hastened to his mother to give her the earliest assurance of 
his safety, and then proceeded to Mount Vernon, where he 
passed the winter. 

The French continued their threatening attitude. Indeed 
it became more so on the upper waters of the Ohio ; and in 
the spring of 1754 a Virginia force, of which Washington 
was appointed lieutenant-colonel, was sent into that region 
as an army of observation or defence, as circumstances 
might decide. With the first division he left Alexandria on 
the 2d of April and crossed the Blue Ridge. Some severe 
encounters with the enemy ensued, and the Virginians were 
defeated. The conduct of Washington was highly ap- 
proved; but new military arrangements made by wrong- 
headed Governor Dinwiddle so disgusted him that he threw 
up his commission and retired to Mount Vernon. 

England declared war against France, and early in 1755 
General Braddock, a distinguished Irish military leader, 
arrived at Alexandria with a small force of regular troops. 
From every lip he heard of the merits of young Colonel 
Washington. He invited him to Alexandria. The colonel 
had seen, from his porch at Mount Vernon, the British ships 
of war and transports on the bosom of the Potomac. His 
military ardor was kindled anew, and he obeyed the sum- 
mons with great alacrity. The veteran and the provincial 
met at the house of Jonathan Carey, when Braddock in- 
vited Colonel Washington to enter his military family with 
the same rank he had lately borne. 



WASHINGTON AND GENERAL BRADDOCK. 49 

Washington returned to Mount Vernon to consider the 
matter. There he found his mother, who, having heard of 
the invitation of the British commander, had hastened to 
Mount Vernon to persuade her son not to accept it. She 
pleaded with all the earnestness and pathos of a mother's 
love. She gave weighty reasons why he should decline the 
proffered honor, among them the urgent claims of her own 
and his affairs, upon his attentions. For nearly tv/o days 
she kept his decision in abeyance. 

Filial obedience was one of the strongest qualities of 
Washington's character. To gain his mother's free consent 
he urged the plea with equal earnestness that the require- 
ments of his country at that crisis and his sense of duty 
demanded that he should make a sacrifice of private feel- 
ings and interests to the public welfare. He expressed a 
belief that with the force at hand the enemy would be driven 
away with very little bloodshed, for they might be easily dis- 
comfited. 

"The God to whom you commended me, madam, when 
I set out on a more perilous errand," he said, " defended 
me from all harm, and I trust he will do so now ; do you 
not?" 

This last appeal carried the citadel of her arguments, and 
the mother yielded her assent, but returned to her home on 
the Rappahannock with a heavy heart. The dutiful son 
entered the military family of General Braddock, and on 
the battle-field of the Monongahela, in July following, when 
the British and provincial forces were vanquished by the 
French and Indians, and his commander was mortally 
wounded, Washington was the only one of sixty-five officers 
who escaped death or wounds. Conducting a masterly re- 

4 



50 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

treat, he saved the remnant of the little army ; and he read 
the solemn burial-service of the Anglican Church by torch- 
light when the body of Braddock was consigned to the 
earth. 

Certain that the wildest rumors of this affair would speed- 
ily reach the ears of his mother and greatly distress her, 
Washington took the first opportunity to write to her and 
assure her of his safety. From Fort Cumberland he sent 
the following letter, written on July i8th : 

" Honored Madam, — 

As I doubt not but you have heard 
of our defeat, and, perhaps, had it represented in a worse 
light than it deserves, I have taken this earliest opportunity 
to give you some account of the engagement as it happened 
within ten miles of the French fort, on the 9th instant." 

After giving an account of the action, he continued : 

" The Virginia troops showed a good deal of bravery, and 
were nearly all killed ; for I believe out of three companies 
that were there, scarcely thirty men are left alive. Captain 
Peyrouny and all his oiBcers down to a corporal were killed. 
Captain Poison had nearly as hard a fate, for only one of 
his was left. In short, the dastardly behavior of those they 
call regulars exposed all others, that were inclined to do 
their duty, to almost certain death ; and at last, in despite 
of all the efforts of the officers to the contrary, they ran as 
sheep pursued by dogs, and it was impossible to rally them. 

" The general was wounded, of which he died three days 
after. Sir Peter Halket was killed on the field where died 
many other brave officers. I luckily escaped without a 
wound, though I had four bullets through my coat and two 
horses shot under me. Captains Orme and Morris, two of 



WASHINGTON IN THE BATTLE OF THE MONONGAHELA. 5 1 

the aides-de-camp, were wounded early in the engagement, 
which rendered the duty hard ujDon me, as I was the only 
person then left to distribute the general's orders, which I 
was scarcely able to do, as I was not half recovered from a 
violent illness that had confined me to my bed and a wagon 
for above ten days. I am still in a weak and feeble condi- 
tion, which induces me to halt here two or three days in the 
hope of recovering a little strength to enable me to proceed 
homewards ; from whence, I fear, I shall not be able to stir 
till towards September, so that I shall not have the pleasure 
of seeing you till then. I am, honored madam, your most 
dutiful son." 

This letter was timely, and greatly relieved the mind and 
heart of his mother, for her son's death had been reported. 
To this rumor he referred as follows in a letter written to 
his half-brother Augustine on the same day : 

" As I have heard, since my arrival at this place, a circum- 
stantial account of my death and dying speech, I take the 
earliest opportunity of contradicting the first and of assur- 
ing you that I have, as yet, not composed the latter. But 
by the all-powerful protection of Providence I have been 
protected beyond all human probability or expectation . . . 
although death was levelling my companions on every side." 

Washington returned to Mount Vernon on the 26th of 
July, quite exhausted. His mother immediately visited him, 
anxious to persuade him to relinquish a military life ; for the 
keen scrutiny of her common-sense perceived that the health 
and fortune, and perhaps the life, of her noble son were like- 
ly to be sacrificed upon the altar of official incompetency and 
injustice. He admitted as much, but his love of country and 
the menace of public danger, especially after the defeat of 



52 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

Braddock, made him hesitate. To his brother Augustine, 
who was then a member of the House of Burgesses, he wrote 
on July 2d on this subject : 

" So little am I dispirited at what has happened, I am al- 
ways ready and always willing to render my country any 
services I am capable of, but never upon the terms I have 
done, having suffered much in my private fortune, besides 
impairing one of the best of constitutions."* 

He continued : " I was employed to go on a journey in the 
winter, when, I believe, few would have undertaken it — and 
what did I get for it.'' My expenses home ! I then was ap- 
pointed, with trifling pay, to conduct a handful of men to 
the Ohio. What did I get by that? Why, after putting 
myself to considerable expense in equipping and providing 
necessaries for the campaign, I went out. was soundly beat- 
en, and lost them all. I came in and had my commission 
taken from me, or, in other words, my command reduced, 
under pretence of an order from home. I then went out a 
volunteer with General Braddock, and lost all my horses 
and many other things." 

Yet in the face of these adverse circumstances, these 



* In 1757 and 1758 Washington was much affected by a pulmonary 
disease, which threatened at one time to become a seated consumption. 
Mr. Custis, in his "Recollections of Washington," page 527, observes: 
" Being ordered one morning very early into the library at Mount Ver- 
non (a place that none entered without orders), the weather being warm, 
we found the chief very much undressed, and while looking on his man- 
ly frame, we discovered that the centre of his chest was indented. This 
is an exception to a general rule laid down by anatomists, that when the 
human frame possesses great muscular power, the chest should rather 
be rounded out and protuberant than indented." 



COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE VIRGINIA FORCES. 53 

causes for dissatisfaction, Colonel Washington's patriotism 
rose superior to personal considerations, and on the 14th of 
August he wrote to his mother as follows : 

" Honored Madam, — 

" If it is in my power to avoid going to the Ohio 
again, I shall ; but if the command is pressed upon me by 
the general voice of the country, and offered upon such 
terms as cannot be objected against, it would reflect dis- 
honor upon me to refuse it, and that, I am sure, must or 
ought to give you greater uneasiness than my going in an 
honorable command. Upon no other terms will I accept it. 
At present I have no proposals made to me, nor have I any 
advice of such an intention except from private hands." 

At the very time Colonel Washington was writing this let- 
ter, the Virginia Assembly appointed him commander - in- 
chief of all their forces, with a salary of $900. His commis- 
sion and instructions from the governor were issued the 
same day (August 14th). He accepted the trust, and early 
in September he fixed his head-quarters at Winchester, in 
the Shenandoah Valley. We need not follow him further in 
the progress of the French and Indian War. Its events, 
and Washington's services in it as commander-in-chief of the 
Virginia troops, are well known to intelligent readers. Suf- 
fice it to say that the time of his entire service in that war 
was about five years. In 1758 he was chosen a member of 
the Virginia House of Burgesses, left the army at near the 
close of that year, married, and returned to Mount Vernon, 
greatly to the relief of his mother, who had suffered contin- 
ual anxiety on his account. In July, 1759, she wrote to her 
brother in England : 



54 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON, 

" Having so good an opportunity by Mr. Tranlsling, I 
could not let it slip. I inquire by all opportunity from you, 
and am glad to hear you and my sister, and Mr. Downman 
[Joseph Ball's son-in-law] and his lady keep your health so 
well. I sometimes hear you intend to see Virginia once 
more. I should be proud to see you. I have known a 
great deal of trouble since I saw you ; there was no end to 
my trouble while George was in the army, but he lias now 
given it up." 

This brother had written to his nephew. Colonel Washing- 
ton, several months before, congratulating him upon the suc- 
cess of his military career. 



CHAPTER V. 

The marriage of young Washington to a charming widow 
of his own age, early in 1759, made his mother very happy. 
The social position, the fortune, and the lively character of 
his bride were extremely satisfactory to Mary Washington. 
She was made supremely happy also because of the assur- 
ance that her eldest son was now settled for life not far 
from his mother, where she might enjoy his society and al- 
ways consult with him about her affairs if necessary, though 
she was now unburdened of much care, for her children had 
reached maturity. 

At the close of the war Madam Washington's daughter 
Elizabeth, as we have observed, was well married and living 
near her, and her three remaining sons were soon in the 
same happy state. Samuel, next in age to George, married 
Jane, daughter of Col. John Champe ; John Augustine mar- 
ried Hannah, daughter of Col. John Bushrod, of Westmore- 
land ; and Charles married Mildred, daughter of Col. Fran- 
cis Thornton, of Spottsylvai;iia. So all her children were 
settled near her, and in time numerous grandchildren con- 
tributed to her happiness. Betty Lewis had many children ; 
Samuel was married five times and had five, and Charles 
had four. 

Nothing of special interest is known of the life of Mary 
Washington from the close of the French and Indian War 
until the beginning of the armed struggle of the British- 



56 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

American colonies for their political independence. Her 
already distinguished son had taken an active part in the 
political events immediately preliminary to that struggle, 
and when war was actually begun in New England, his first 
care was to insure the personal safety of his mother from 
the vicissitudes incident to the disturbed state of public af- 
fairs. His prescience and his knowledge of the British 
character admonished him that the contest would be long 
and fierce, and extend to all the colonies along the sea- 
board. He persuaded his mother to leave her exposed 
house on the Rappahannock, and he assisted her to remove 
from her farm into Fredericksburg, which was in sight of it, 
where she might enjoy the society of friends and be protect- 
ed from marauders who might ascend the river. Her daugh- 
ter, Mrs. Lewis, desired her mother to take up her abode 
with her at Kenmore House, but the wise and prudent ma- 
tron chose rather to enjoy the quiet and sovereignty of a 
home of her own, saying, " I thank you for your dutiful and 
affectionate offer, but my wants are few in this life, and I 
feel perfectly competent to take care of myself." She chose 
for her residence a modest and yet quite a stylish residence, 
for the time, on Charles Street, at the corner of Lewis Street. 
This dwelling, partially changed in outward appearance, 
is still in existence. It was quite long on Charles Street, 
having four windows and a door in front. It was two sto- 
ries in height, the upper one lighted by dormer windows, 
which pierced the steep roof and made cheerful attic rooms. 
The roof in the rear extended down to within ten feet of the 
ground. There was a chimney at each end. In the rear of 
the house was a spacious garden and a large fruit-orchard. 
Separated a few feet from the dwelling, in the rear, was the 



MARY WASHINGTON S HOUSE IN FREDERICKSBURG. 



57 




MARY WASHINGTON S HOUSE IN FREDERICKSBURG. 

kitchen. A passage extended from the front to the rear of 
the house, in which was a winding staircase leading to the 
chambers. Such was the dwelling-place of the mother of 
Washington during the war for independence, and there she 
died.* 



* A portion of the house has been rdised and transformed into a mod- 
ern two-story house with a porch. The portion which forms the corner 
of the streets is a part of the original dwelling. The rear part has been 
converted into a kitchen, and the garden is largely covered with build- 
ings. 

There has recently been published some absurd fictions about Madam 
Washington and this residence. One writer says, " It was from her 
Fredericksburg home that Washington [in 1753] went to Williamsburg 
to tender his services to Governor Dinwiddle, for the purpose of bearing 
a letter to the French commandant on the Ohio." Another writer says 



58 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

Madam Washington was now in the direct line of com- 
munication between the Eastern and Southern colonies, and 
she was in the constant receipt of news concerning the prog- 
ress of the struggle at all points. Washington communicat- 
ed to her, as opportunities offered, tidings of the most im- 
portant occurrences in the strife. Courier after courier 
would appear at the door of her dwelling with despatches 
which told her alternately of victory and of defeat. She re- 
ceived all messages with equanimity, and never betrayed any 
uncommon emotion. When the cheering news of the vic- 
tories at Trenton and Princeton reached Fredericksburg, 
several of her friends congratulated her upon the brilliant 
achievements of her son, when she simply replied, " George 

tliat a place in the front room of tlie house is pointed out as " the spot 
where Cicorge used to sit on a bench and straighten out his mother's ac- 
counts;" that Washington and his mother "both dwelt there;" that 
" before, during, and after the Revolutionary War it was Washington's 
frequent practice to visit his mother in this famous house;" that "on 
one occasion during the Revolution Washington called on his mother, 
and finding her working in her garden, went out to greet her, when she 
laughingly exclaimed, 'Well, George, haven't they caught you?' His 
reply was to hand her a bag of silver; and," says the writer, " she was 
always kept well supplied with silver by her son during the Revolution." 
Another writer says, " Fredericksburg proudly lays claim to the honor 
of having been the scene of the early life of Wasiiington, the home of 
his mother." 

These assertions have been put forth as veritable history. A proper 
characterization of them maybe formed by the consideration that Wash- 
ington wefc'r ^/tw//* /'« FreJericksbiirg ; that his mother rt'/V/ «^/ //W/ir her 
alwde there until 1775, when her distinguished son was more than forty- 
three years of age, and that he was not in that town (nor n>en in Vir- 
ginia) during the ivhoie ivar for inde/'endenee until late in the seventh 
year oi the struggle (17S1), when he passed through with foreign officers. 



MARY Washington's daily life. 59 

seems to have deserved well of his country ;" and when some 
of them read paragraphs of letters they had received, in 
which the skill and bravery of Washington were applauded, 
she said, " Gentlemen, here is too much flattery ; still George 
will not forget the lessons I have taught him — he will not 
forget himself, though he is an object of so much praise." 

As the war went on and the fate of the inchoate nation 
seemed to depend upon her first-born — as the star of his 
renown rose higher and higher, and beamed with ever-in- 
creasing lustre, and his name became a synonym of hero 
and patriot in two hemispheres— this noble matron might 
have been seen every day in her unpretentious dwelling at 
Fredericksburg in plain attire, the same industrious, pru- 
dent, and thrifty housewife and wise manager of her affairs 
that she was in her country home on the bank of the Rap- 
pahannock, ever giving thanks to God for the blessings she 
enjoyed. With sublime trustfulness in Divine power, jus- 
tice, and goodness, she was undisturbed by the tumult of 
.the quick-throbbing heart of the nation at that crisis, or the 
resounding applause which greeted her son on every side. 

Madam Washington had a small farm near Fredericks- 
burg, the cultivation of which she personally superintended. 
She might be seen every fair day, excepting the Sabbath, 
riding out to her plantation in an old-fashioned two-wheeled 
chaise, herself driving her gentle horse, and going from 
field to field directing the laborers in their work. She em- 
ployed an overseer, but he was always required to follow 
her instructions implicitly. She was a rigid disciplinarian 
in business as in the domestic circle, and her word was 
law. She always acted with deliberation, gave her com- 
mands with gravity and explicitness, and expected them to 



6o MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

be obeyed. Disobedience was always followed by rebuke, 
sometimes severe in words, if it seemed necessary. They 
were given, not in anger, but with such a tone and dignity 
that the offender would not willingly repeat the offence or 
incur her displeasure. On one occasion her agent departed 
from her instructions. She instantly called him to an ac- 
count. 

" Madam," said the overseer, " in my judgment, the work 
has been done to better advantage than if I had followed 
your directions." 

" And pray who gave you the right to exercise any judg- 
ment in the matter ?" asked the now venerable matron. " I 
command you, sir ; there is nothing left for you but to obey." 

When the infirmities of old age began to burden her, her 
son-in-law, Colonel Lewis, proposed that he should relieve 
her in the management of her affairs. She thanked him, 
and said, 

" Do you, Fielding, keep my books in order, for your 
eyesight is better than mine, but leave the management of 
the farm to me." 

Habitual secret communion with her Maker gave daily 
strength to the spirit of Mary Washington. She devoted 
an hour each day to such communion, either in her home 
or, when the weather was favoring, at a secluded spot on 
land belonging to Colonel Lewis, not far from her dwelling. 
This retreat was sheltered from public observation by rocks, 
trees, and shrubbery. To that spot, for many years before 
her death, she resorted to meditate and pray. As it had 
been sanctified to her heart and mind by such communion, 
which always suffused her soul with divine peace, she se- 
lected a beautiful swell of land a few steps from this retreat 



MARY Washington's fkar of lightning. 6i 

as the place of her sepulture, and so she designated it in 
her will. 

The intrepidity and trustfulness of Mary Washington 
never failed her; but an unconquerable fear and dread 
overcame her during thunder-storms, when she would retire 
to her chamber, and not leave it until the tempest was over- 
past. This fear of lightning had been caused by a most 
affecting event. Soon after her marriage, while seated at 
her own table with a young woman who was her intimate 
friend, lightning, during a thunder shower, entered the room, 
and attracted to the steel knife and fork in the hands of 
the visitor, melted them and instantly destroyed the life of 
the maiden. P'rom this shock the courageous matron nev- 
er recovered. 

As soon as convenient after the surrender of Cornwallis 
at Yorktown, in October, 1781, Washington departed for 
Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Government. His 
heart was greatly saddened at the moment of his departure 
from the scene of his great victory by the sudden death of 
his step-son. Colonel Custis, who was a member of his staff. 
The commander-in-chief was accompanied as far as Fred- 
ericksburg by a brilliant retinue of French and American 
officers. They arrived there on the afternoon of the nth 
of November, when Washington hastened to meet and em- 
brace his mother at her home. She was then seventy-five 
years of age. Mr. Custis, in his "Recollections of Wash- 
ington," has left on record an interesting account of this 
meeting of the aged mother and her illustrious son for the 
first time in almost seven years, which he derived from the 
lips of eye-witnesses of the event: 

"As soon as he was dismounted, in the midst of a nu- 



62 MARV, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

merous and brilliant suite," wrote Mr. Custis, "he sent to 
apprise her of his arrival, and to know when it would be 
her pleasure to receive him. . . . No pageantr)' of war pro- 
claimed his coming, no trumpets sounded, no banners 
waved. Alone and on foot the general-in-cln'ef of the com- 
bined armies of France and America, the deliverer of his 
country, the hero of the age, repaired to pay his humble 
tribute of duty to her whom he venerated as the author of 
his being, the founder of his fortunes and his fame ; for full 
well he knew that the matron was made of sterner stuff 
than to be moved by all the .pride that glory ever gave, and 
all the 'pomp and circumstance' of power. 

'* She was alone, her aged hands employed in the works 
of domestic industry, when the good news was announced, 
and it was told that the victor was awaiting at the threshold. 
She' bade him welcome by a warm embrace and by the well- 
remembered and endearing name of George — the familiar 
name of his childhood. She inquired as to his health, for 
she marked the lines which mighty cares and many toils 
had made in his manly countenance, and she spoke much 
of old times and old friends, but of his glory not one word. 

" Meanwhile, in the village of Fredericksburg, all was joy 
and revelry. The town was crowded with the officers of the 
French and American armies, antl with gentlemen from 
many miles around, who hastened to welcome the conqueror 
of Cornwallis. The citizens got up a splendid ball, to 
which the matron was specially invited. She observed to 
the messenger that, although her dancing days were pretty 
well over, she should feel happy in contributing to the gen- 
eral festivity, and consented to attend. 

" The foreign officers were anxious to see the mother of 



THE MOTHIiR OF WASHINGTON AND FOREIGN OFFICERS. 63 

their chief. They had heard indistinct rumors touching her 
remarkable life and character; but forming their judgments 
from European examples, they were prepared to expect in 
the mother that glitter and show which would have been 
attached to the parents of the great in the countries of the 
Old World. How were they surprised when, leaning on the 
arm of her son, she entered the room dressed in the very 
plain yet becoming garb worn by the Virginia lady of the 
olden time ! Her address was always dignified and impos- 
ing, courteous though reserved. She received the compli- 
mentary attentions which were paid to her without the 
slightest elevation, and at an early hour, wishing the com- 
pany much enjoyment of their pleasures, observed that it 
was time for old folks to be in bed, and retired, leaning, as 
before, on the arm of her son. 

" The foreign officers were amazed on beholding one 
whom so many causes conspired to elevate, preserving the 
even tenor of her life, while such a blaze of glory shone 
upon her name and offspring. It was a moral spectacle 
such as the European world had furnished no examples. 
Names of ancient lore were heard to escape from their lips, 
and they declared ' if such are the matrons in America, well 
may she boast of illustrious sons.' " * 



* " Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington, by his adopt- 
ed son, George Washington Parke CusLis, and Illustrative and Explana- 
tory Notes by Benson J. Lossing," page 141. This ball was given in 
the large room of the principal tavern in Fredericksburg, which was 
used by the dancing assemblies every winter and for public entertain- 
ments. It was plain in its architecture, having a cornice at the top and 
plain window casements. There were thin, figured curtains at each 
window. 



64 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

The heart of Washington was saddened by the death of 
his much-loved step-son, and he did not return to the gay 
scene after he retired from it with his mother ; but ever 
mindful of others, he did not allow the least manifestation 
of a heavy heart to mar the pleasures of the company while 
he was among them. He even danced a minuet with Mrs. 
Colonel Willis, a distinguished matron of the town, and this 
was the last time, it is said, he engaged in that amusement. 
The venerable widow of Gen. Alexander Hamilton told me, 
not long before her death, that Washington " never danced 
after the close of the Revolutionary War." She was pres- 
ent at several balls which he attended. He would some- 
times wa/^ through a figure or two with ladies during the 
evening, but never took the step of the dance. 

The Marquis de Lafayette revisited the United States in 
1784, and was twice a guest at Mount Vernon. Just before 
his departure for home, in the autumn, he spent a few days 
with Washington, and went to Fredericksburg to give a part- 
ing adieu to the mother of his beloved and venerated friend. 
One of the sons of the widowed Betty Lewis, who was at 
Mount Vernon, accompanied the marquis, and on their ar- 
rival at Fredericksburg he conducted Lafayette to the dwell- 
ing of the venerable matron. As they approached the house, 
young Lewis said, 

"There, sir, is my grandmother," pointing to an old lady 
busy in her garden, gathering the refuse of the summer 
growth for burning. 

She was clad in homespun garments, and her head was 
covered with a plain straw hat. In the shadow of its broad 
brim, from beneath a lawn cap, appeared her whitened locks. 
Her expressive eyes beamed with pleasure as she took the 



LAFAYETTE AND THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 65 

hand of Lafayette in both her own, and said, in an ahnost 
playful manner, 

" Ah, marquis, you see an old woman ; but come in, I can 
make you welcome to my poor dwelling without the parade 
of changing my dress." 

The gallant soldier was charmed by her sweet and cord- 
ial manner, yet displaying almost courtly dignity after the 
first words of welcome were uttered. She was then nearly 
fourscore years of age, yet her mental vigor seemed un- 
touched by decay, and she conversed with the animation of 
middle age on the great events of the Revolution and the 
bright prospects of her emancipated country. The marquis 
ventured to speak of the transcendent glory which crowned 
her illustrious son, and the plaudits he would receive from 
future generations. To these expressions the matron, to 
the astonishment and delight of the enthusiastic French- 
man, quietly replied, 

" I am not surprised at what George has done, for he was 
always a good boy," 

The marquis craved her blessing. It was freely given ; 
and he left that presence with a higher appreciation than 
ever before of the dignity of human nature unbiassed by ar- 
tificial influences ; the power of maternal guidance wielded 
by lofty and religious principles ; and a warmer glow of ad- 
miration for democratic ideas, which, in their development 
in society in America, had created such mothers and such 
sons — such rulers and such citizens as abounded here. 

Madam Washington's life was spared until she beheld 
her first-born son elevated to the highest earthly dignity to 
which man may aspire — the lofty seat of the chief magistrate 
of a young, vigorous, and free member of the family of na- 

5 



66 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

tions, and called to it by the unanimous voice of his grate- 
ful fellow-citizens. She had watched over him with fidelity 
from his infancy, and had been his good angel, guiding him 
at every step in his glorious life career ; for so trustful was 
he in the intelligence of her judgment, and so obedient to 
her as his mother and mentor that it is said he never under- 
took any important public task or private enterprise while 
she was living without first communing with her on the sub- 
ject. 

When Washington was called to the duties of President 
of the United States the physical strength of his mother, 
then past eighty years of age, was wasting from the efifects 
of a painful and incurable disease (cancer). >^He had often 
been with her at her own home since the close of the war, 
and, until her waning strength forbade, she was frequently 
at Mount Vernon. 

On the 14th of April, 1789, Charles Thomson, the Sec- 
retary of Congress, appeared at Mount Vernon with official 
certificates that its master ha'd been chosen chief magistrate 
of the republic. Washington at once prepared to accom- 
pany the secretary to New York, then the seat of the Na- 
tional Government. In the afternoon of the same day he 
mounted his horse, and with his favorite body-servant, " Bil- 
ly,"* rode to the home of his mother at Fredericksburg. 

* " Billy " (William Lee) was a notable character in Washington's 
family. Before the Revolution he was Washington's huntsman, and 
during the war he was his faithful body-servant. He was always with 
his master in camp and in the field, and was trusted with the custody 
of the private papers of the commander-in-chief when on a march or a 
transition from one head-quarters to another. He was a stout and very 
active man. In his later years, when he was made lame by an accident, 



Washington's last interview with his mother. 67 

He found her quite feeble in body, but strong in spirit and 
bright in intellect. After the first affectionate words were 
uttered, Washington said to his mother, 

" The people, madam, have been pleased, with the most 
flattering unanimity, to elect me to the chief magistracy of 
the United States ; but before I can assume the functions 
of that office I have come to bid you an affectionate fare- 
well. So soon as the public business, which must necessa- 
rily be encountered in arranging a new government, can be 
disposed of, I shall hasten to Virginia and — '' 

" You will see me no more," she said, interrupting him. 
" My great age, and the disease that is rapidly approaching 
my vitals, warn me that I shall not be long in this world. 
I trust in God I am somewhat prepared for a better. 
But go, George, fulfil the high destinies which Heaven ap- 
pears to assign you ; go, my son, and may that Heaven's 
and your mother's blessing be with you always." 

The great heart of the patriot was filled with mingled 
emotions of love, respect, and reverence for this his best 
earthly friend, and moved with the utmost tenderness of 
feeling, he laid his head upon the shoulder of his mother, 
as he had done when he was a little child, and wept. She 
clasped his neck with her feeble arms, and her tears min- 
gled with his. So they parted, never to meet again on the 
earth. 

Tradition tells us that the stature of Madam Washington 

he became an object of special care. He received many presents from 
the numerous visitors at Mount Vernon. Washington, at his death, left 
Billy a home and a pension of $150 a year. He wa^ a "spoiled child 
of fortune," and became intemperate. He survived his master many 
years. 



68 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

was of the full average height of women, and that in person 
she was compactly built and well proportioned. She pos- 
sessed great physical strength and powers of endurance, 
and enjoyed through life robust health. Her features 
were strongly marked, but pleasing in expression ; at the 
same time there was a dignity in her manner that was at 
first somewhat repellent to a stranger, but it always com- 
manded the most thorough respect from her friends and 
acquaintances. Her voice was sweet, almost musical in its 
cadences, yet it was firm and decided, and she was always 
cheerful in spirit. 



^ 



') 



CHAPTER VI. 

Washington returned from his visit to his mother on the 
evening of the 15th of April, and early the next morning he 
set out from Mount Vernon for New York, with Secretary 
Thomson and Colonel Humphreys, to be inaugurated Pres- 
ident of the United States. After his inauguration, the mul- 
tiplicity of cares and exhausting duties which burdened him 
sapped his vitality, and he was finally prostrated by a dan- 
gerous malady (a malignant carbuncle), which confined him 
in his bed for several weeks, and almost ended his life. 

The President had just recovered sufficient strength to 
ride out in his carriage when he received tidings of the 
death of his mother, on August 25, 1789. Although her de- 
parture was not unexpected, the announcement deeply af- 
fected him, for the tie of affection which bound these noble 
beings to each other was exceedingly strong. To his only 
sister, Mrs. Lewis, Washington immediately wrote : 

" Awful and affecting as the death of a parent is, there is 
consolation in knowing that Heaven has spared ours to an 
age beyond which few attain, and favored her with the full 
enjoyment of her faculties and as much bodily strength as 
usually falls to the lot of fourscore. Under these circum- 
stances, and the hope that she is translated to a happier 
place, it is the duty of her relatives to yield submission to 
the decrees of the Creator. When I was last at Fredericks- 



70 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

burg I took a final leave of my mother, never expecting to 
see her more." 

The death of Mary Washington was felt as a solemn pub- 
lic event. The members of Congress and many other citi- 
zens put on the accustomed conventional mourning. The 
pulpits throughout the land noticed the event with much 
feeling. At Fredericksburg, on the day of her funeral, all 
business was suspended. The weather was extremely warm, 
yet the heat did not deter the people from thronging St. 
George's Church, to which the body had been conveyed, 
and where the impressive funeral service of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church in America (then just established) was 
conducted by the Rev. Thomas Thornton, her pastor. 

From the church the remains of Madam Washington were 
borne on the shoulders of strong men to the place of burial 
which she had selected, followed by a large procession of 
relatives and friends. In that quiet spot all that was mor- 
tal of Mary, the mother of Washington, was laid, on Thurs- 
day, the 27th day of August, 1789, at the end of a pilgrim- 
age on the earth of eighty-three years. She had lived a 
widow forty-seven years, and had always enjoyed the love 
and reverence of those who knew her most intimately. Her 
charities, steady and judicious, were never lavish nor ill con- 
sidered, but were always sufficient for the occasion, and en- 
deared her to the hearts of the poor. Her sympathetic and 
wise counsels to the afflicted and wounded soul, her con- 
stant cheerfulness of spirit beaming through her natural 
gravity and dignified demeanor, her unaffected piety dis- 
played in actions rather than in words, her conscientious 
discharge of every duty imposed towards God and her fel- 
low-creatures, and the habitual exercise of virtues which 



AT THE BURIAL-PLACE OF MARY WASHINGTON. 7 1 

mark the character of a true wife and mother, caused Mary- 
Washington to be regarded as a model woman. 

" Though a pious tear of affection and esteem is due to 
the memory of so revered a character," wrote one of her 
neighbors on the day of Mary Washington's funeral, "yet 
our grief must be greatly lessened from the consideration 
that she is relieved from the pitiable infirmities attendant 
on extreme old age. It is usual, when virtuous and conspic- 
uous persons quit this terrestrial abode, to publish elaborate 
panegyrics on their characters, but suffice it to say that she 
conducted herself through this transitory life with virtue and 
prudence worthy of the mother of the greatest hero that ever 
adorned the annals of history. There is no fame in the 
world more pure than that of the mother of Washington, 
and no woman since the mother of Christ has left a better 
claim to the affectionate reverence of mankind." 

The grave in which the remains of Mary Washington lie 
buried was long unmarked by any memorial. A quarter of 
a century after the funeral the Rev. Timothy Alden wrote : 
" Nothing distinguishes her grave but the verdure of the 
grass which covers it and a thrifty young cedar near it." 
Sixty years ago the adopted son of Washington wrote, in 
reference to the death of this beloved matron : 

" Thus lived and died this distinguished woman. Had 
she been of the olden time, statues would have been erected 
to her memory at the Capitol, and she would have been 
called the Mother of Romans. When another century 
shall have elapsed, and our descendants shall have learned 
the true value of liberty, how will the fame of the paternal 
chief be cherished in story and in song ! nor will be for- 
gotten her who first bent the twig to incline the tree to 



72 MAUY, THE IMOTIIF.R OK WASIIINO.TON. 

glory. Then, and not till then, will youth and age, maid 
and matron, ay, and beardeil men, with jiilgrim step, repair 
to the now negleeted grave of the mother oi Washington." 

The brief sketch of Mary \\'ashington by Mr. C'nstis from 
which the above sentences were taken, was publishetl in 
the Xa/ional GaZit/i-, at Washington (."ily, on the i^th of 
May, 1S26. It attracted a great deal of attention at the 
time, and a project was set on foot for the re-entombment 
of the remains of the matron, and the erection of a suitable 
nuMunnent over them. 'I'his movement was begun in Vir- 
ginia. It w-as estimated that the sum of $2000 would be 
sufficient for this jnupose. Public symixUhy in the under- 
taking was manifesteil all over the Union. The press 
everywhere discussed the subject. A New \o\\< journal 
proposed that the whole sum shouhl be raised *' by the ef- 
forts of American maids antl matrons." The proprietor of 
the estate on which was the matron's grave corresiionded 
with Mr. C'ustis on the subject, anil the inhabitants of 
Fredericksburg got up a memorial. 

'I'his eiTort was spasmodic. Very soon the subject slum- 
bered so pri^ft)undly in the public mind th.U it seenjed to ^,^^^A^ 
be forgotten. Seven years aflerwarils Sihii? K. JUnrows, a 
patriotic and enterprising merchant of New Vork C'ity, re- 
solved to erect a monuuient to the memory of the mother 
of Washington at his own expense. He did not propose 
to disturb iier remains, but to build the structure on the 
spot w'here she had willed her mortal relics siiouKl repose. 
\'igorous preparations for the task were begun, and on the 
7th of May, 1S33, the corner-stone was laid there, in the 
presence of a mullitude of people. 

The ceremonies on that occasion were impressive and 



PRESIDENT JACKSON ASSAUI/IKD. 73 

imposing. Tlic President f)f the United States (Andrew 
Jackson) accepted an invitation to officiate as ciiief cele- 
brant on the occasion. On the 6th of May he went down 
the Potomac from the city of Washington in a steamboat, 
with the heads of the government departments and his 
private secretary, and was met at J'otomac Oeek, nine miles 
from Fredericksburg, by the Monumental OjmmiUee of 
that city, at the head of which was Colonel JJassett, a rela- 
tion of the Washington family by marriage.* 'I'he President 
and suite were received by a military escort conunanded by 
l)r. Wallace, oi I'Vedericksburg, at whose house they were 
entertained. 

On the folhjwing day a great civic and military proces- 
sion was formed, and proceeded to the grave. t It was es- 



* A very unjilcasanl event occurred at Alexandria. Wliile the boat 
was lying at the wliarf, Lieutenant Kandolpli, wlio liad lately Ijeen dis- 
missed from the navy, went on l)oard, and proceeding into the cabin 
where the vencral)le President sat at a talde, reading and smoking, 
made a cowardly and brutal attack upon liini. The miscreant was in- 
stantly seized by the captain of the boat, wlien a number of Randolph's 
friends, who accompanied him, rescued him and b(jre him to tlie wharf. 
A citizen of Alexandria, hearing of the outrage, was so greatly incensed 
that he said to the I'resident, 

"■Sir, if you will pardon me in case I am tried and cmivicted, I will 
kill Randolph in fifteen minutes for this insult to you." 

" No, sir," an.swered the President,",! cannot <\>> that. I want no 
man to stand between me and my assailants, nor none to take revenge 
on my account. Had I been prepared f(jr this cowardly villain's ap- 
proach, I can assure you all that he never vvrjuM have the temerity to 
undertake- such a thing again." 

f The procession was formed in the following rjrder : i. A detach- 
ment of cavalry. 2. The Chief Architect Jind Masonic Societies. In 
this division Mr. liurrows was assigned a consjiicuous and honorable 



74 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

timated that fully fifteen thousand persons were present. 
After a prayer by the Rev. E. C. McGuire, the pastor of 
St. George's Church, Colonel Bassett, on behalf of the citi- 
zens of Fredericksburg, addressed the President on the 
character of her whom they sought to honor. To this ad- 
dress the President made a brief but eloquent response, in 
which he said : 

" We are assembled, fellow-citizens, to witness and assist 
in an interesting ceremony. More than a century has 
passed away since she to whom this tribute of respect is 
about to be paid entered upon the active scenes of life ; a 
century fertile in wonderful events, and of distinguished men 
who have participated in them. Of these our country has 
furnished a full share, and of these distinguished men she 
has produced a Washington. ... In the grave before us lie 
the remains of his mother. Long has it been unmarked by 
any monumental tablet, but not unhonored. You have un- 
dertaken the pious duty of erecting a column to her name, 
and of inscribing upon it the simple but affecting words, 
' Mary, the mother of Washington.' No eulogy could be 
higher, and it appeals to the heart of every American. . . . 

station. 3. The President of the United States, in an open carriage, 
with the heads of Departments and his private secretary (Major Donel- 
son), accompanied by the Monumental Committee. 4. The clergy and 
relatives of Washington. 5. The Mayor and Common Council of Fred- 
ericksburg. 6. A pleasing company of small boys, in complete uniform, 
with wooden guns. 7. The officers of the Anny and Navy of the 
United States, and the invited strangers. 8. A battalion of volunteers 
under Major Patten, and several companies of infantry from Washing- 
ton and Alexandria, with the Marine Band. 9. Strangers and citizens, 
six abreast. 



PRESIDENT JACKSON AND MARY WASHINGTON. 75 

Tradition says that tlie character of Washington was 
strengthened, if not formed, by the care and precepts of his 
mother. ... In tracing the few recollections which can be 
gathered of her principles and conduct it is impossible to 
avoid the conviction that these were closely interwoven with 
the destiny of her son. The great points of his character 
are before the world. He who runs may read them in his 
whole career, as a citizen, a soldier, a magistrate. He pos- 
sessed unerring judgment, if that term can be applied to 
human nature, great probity of purpose, high moral princi- 
ples, perfect self-possession, untiring application, an inquir- 
ing mind, seeking information from every quarter, and ar- 
riving at its conclusions with a full knowledge of the subject, 
and he added to these an inflexibility of resolution which 
nothing could change but a conviction of error. Look 
back upon the life and conduct of his mother, and at her 
domestic government, as they have this day been delineated 
by the chairman of the Monumental Committee, and as 
they were known to her contemporaries and have been de- 
scribed by them, and they will be found admirably adapted 
to form and develop the elements of such a character." 

As the President deposited an inscribed plate in the cor- 
ner-stone, he said, 

" Fellow-citizens : At your request, and in your name, 
I now deposit this plate on the spot destined for it ; and 
when the American pilgrim shall, in after-ages, come up to 
this high and holy place, and lay his hand upon this sacred 
column, may he recall the virtues of her who sleeps beneath, 
and depart with his affections purified and his piety 
strengthened, while he invokes blessings upon the memory 
of the mother of Washington." 



76 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

At the conclusion of this ceremony the following poem, 
written for the occasion by the late Mrs. Lydia H. Sigour- 
ney, was read : 

" Long hast thou slept, unnoted. Nature stole 
In her soft ministry around thy bed, 
And spread her vernal coverings, violet-gemm'd, 
And pearled with dews. She bade her bright Summer bring 
Gifts of frankincense, with sweet song of birds, 
And Autumn cast his yellow coronet 
Dome at his feet, and stormy Winter speak 
Hoarsely of man's neglect. But now we come 
To do thee homage, mother of our chief, 
Fit homage, such as honoreth him who pays ! 
Methinks we see thee, as in olden time, 
Simple in garb — majestic and serene — 
Unaw'd by ' pomp and circumstance ' — in truth 
Inflexible — and with Spartan zeal 
Repressing vice and making folly grave. 
Thou didst not deem it woman's part to waste 
Life on inglorious sloth, to sport a while 
Amid the flowers, or on the summer wave, 
Then flit like the ephemeron away, 
Building no temple in her children's hearts, 
Save to the vanity and pride of life 
Which she had worshipped. 

"Of the might that clothed 
The ' Pater Patria ' — of the deeds that won 
A nation's liberty and Earth's applause, 
Making Mount Vernon's tomb a Mecca haunt 
For patriot and for sage, while time shall last, 
What part was thine, what thanks to thee are due. 
Who 'mid his elements of being wrought 
With no uncertain aim — nursing the germs 
Of godlike virtue in his infant mind, 
We know not — Heaven can teil ! 



MARY WASHINGTON S MONUMENT, 



77 



" Rise, noble pile ! 
And show a race unborn who rests below — 
And say to mothers what a holy charge 
Is theirs — with what a kingly power their love 
Might rule the fountains of the new-born mind — 
Warn them to wake at early dawn, and sow 
Good seed before the world doth sow its tares, 
Nor in their toil decline — that angel bands 
May put their sickle in, and reap for God, 
And gather to his garner." 

When this monument of white marble was completed — all 
but the obelisk of beautiful design which was to surmount 
it — eommercial reverses befell the generous merchant, and 
he was compelled to abandon his patriotic task. The block 




i&- 



MONUMENT IN MEMORY OF MARY WASHINGTON. 

for the obelisk as it was taken from the quarry had been 
drawn to the spot, and needed only the skill and labor of 
the sculptor to fashion it into exquisite form. But, with 
shame be it spoken, it lies there still (iS86), after a lapse 
of over fifty years, untouched by any hand but that of the 



78 MARY, THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON. 

relic-seeking despoiler which has defaced it beyond recov- 
ery. 

When I visited and sketched the monument in 1848, it 
was perfect as far as completed. Year after year the dust 
of the plain had lodged upon the top of the unfinished pile, 
and the seeds of wild-flowers had been borne thither upon 
the wings of zephyrs ; and where the base of the promised 
noble obelisk should rest. Nature, as if rebuking insensate 
man, had woven green garlands and flowery festoons. 
Upon the broad tablet whereon was to be inscribed the 
words, 

MARY, 
THE MOTHER OF WASHINGTON, 

dark-green fungi had made their humiliating record instead. 

Since that time the tooth of decay and the hands of bar- 
barous man have hastened the work of destruction. A 
friend who visited the spot in 1884 wrote to me that "all 
but three of the eight columns which had been placed in 
sunken panels have been removed or destroyed. No en- 
closure guards the place from intrusion. The sqcred spot 
is utterly neglected — broken, grass-grown, and dilapidated." 

How much longer will Virginia — how much longer will 
the nation suffer such a reproach ? The National Govern- 
ment has just completed a superb obelisk that pierces the 
firmament more than five hundred feet above the earth, in 
honor of her illustrious son. Cannot this mighty govern- 
ment, this nation of nearly sixty million people, with a 
plethoric treasury, afford to devote a few dollars in money 
and a few emotions of honest pride and genuine patriotism 
to the task of completing a work begun more than fifty 
years ago by a patriotic citizen in honor of the mother of 
Washington ? 




'0^. 1/^CfAu^ /^^%^ 



MARTHA. 



MARTHA, 

THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



CHAPTER I. 

"... Her form was all humanity, 
Hev soul all God's ; in spirit and in form 
Like fair." — Philip James Bailey. 

Early in the last century the colonial court of Virginia, 
seated at Williamsburg, midway between the York and 
James rivers, was the gayest on the continent. There was 
much of the old cavalier element left in Virginia society at 
that period, and much of the stately etiquette and conven- 
tional formality of the better class in England prevailed at 
the Virginia capital. Among the prominent persons of the 
social circle that surrounded the court at Williamsburg 
during the seasons of amusement at about the middle of 
the last century, were Col. John Dandridge and his accom- 
plished wife, a daughter of a descendant of one of the 
oldest settlers in Gloucester County, Colonel Dandridge 
was a cultivated gentleman and an extensive planter in New 
Kent County. He owned a fine residence on the Pamun- 
key River, was a local magistrate, colonel of his military 



84 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

district, and a vestryman of St. Peter's parish. The Dan- 
dridge family were descended from the Rev. Orlando Jones, 
a clergyman from Wales, who was among the earlier col- 
onists of Virginia. Two of Colonel Dandridge's sons were 
in the British navy at this period. 

Martha, the eldest daughter of Colonel Dandridge, was 
then just blooming into womanhood. She was a charming 
girl, a little below the medium stature, and possessed of an 
elegant figure. Her eyes were dark, and expressive of the 
most kindly good-nature, her complexion was fair, her hair a 
rich brown in color, her features were regular and beautiful, 
her whole face beamed with intelligence ; she was spright- 
ly and witty, and her manners were modest and extremely 
winning. Martha had been fairly educated by private tu- 
tors, and she was an expert performer on the spinet. 

Martha Dandridge was first introduced at the vice-regal 
court, during the later period of the long admiilistration of 
Lieut.-Gov. William Gooch, when she was fifteen years of 
age. She attracted universal admiration, for she was wom- 
anly beyond her years. At seventeen she was the reigning 
belle at that court, and numerous suitors sought to win her 
heart and hand. 

At the city of Williamsburg lived Col. John Custis, a man 
possessed of large wealth, and who held, at one time, the 
high office of King's Councillor in the government of Vir- 
ginia. He had married in early life Frances Parke, the 
eldest daughter of Col. Daniel Parke, who was engaged in 
seeking his fortune abroad in the military service of Queen 
Anne. She and her sister Lucy, who married Col. William 
Byrd, of Westover, had lived in quiet seclusion with their 
mother. Frances is represented as a wayward, ill-tempered, 



A LOVE-LETTER. ge 

and self-willed girl ; beautiful in form and feature, and one 
of two heirs to a great fortune in prospect. Young Custis 
sought her hand with the ardor and eagerness of youth,* 
and married her in spite of warnings that he could never 
live happily with her. Their nuptials were celebrated at 
her home at Queen's Creek, on York River. Their honey- 
moon had scarcely ended when- a war of words between 

* The following letter of young Custis to his intended bride a few 
months before their marriage, in which, according to the custom of the 
time, he calls her his " P^idelia," is a fair specimen of passionate love- 
letters in the colonial days : 

" Williamsburg, Feb. 4, 1705. 

"May angels guard my dearest Fidelia and deliver her safe to my 
arms at our next meeting; and sure they won't refuse their protection to 
a creature so pure and charming, that it would be easy for them to mis- 
take her for one of themselves. If you could but believe how entirely 
you possess the empire of my heart, you would easily credit me when 1 
tell you, that I can neither think nor so much as dream of any other sub- 
ject than the enchanting Fidelia. You will do me wrong if you suspect 
there ever was a man created that loved with more tenderness and sin- 
cerity than I do, and I should do you wrong if I could imagine there 
ever was a nymph that deserved it better than you. Take this for grant- 
ed, and then fancy how uneasy I am like to be under the unhappiness of 
your absence. Figure to yourself what tumults there will arise in my 
blood, what a fluttering of the spirits, what a disorder of the pulse, what 
passionate wishes, what absence of thought, and what crowding of sighs, 
and then imagine how unfit I shall be for business. But returning to 
the dear cause of my uneasiness : O the torture of six months' expecta- 
tion ! If it must be so long, and necessity will, till then, interpose be- 
twixt you and my inclinations, I must submit, though it be as unwilling- 
ly as pride submits to superior virtue, or envy to superior success. Pray 
think of me, and believe that Veramour is entirely and eternally yours. 

"Adieu. 
" I pray you write as soon as you receive this, and commit your letter 
to the same trusty hand that brings you this." 

The inscriplion on Custis's tombstone, given in the next page, is a 
significant commentary on this letter. 



86 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

them began, and only ended with her Hfe, which was termi- 
nated by small-pox when she had given birth to a son and 
a daughter. Tradition says her husband was no more a 
saint than she ; but her tongue was more expert than his, 
and she managed to have the last word in these oral con- 
tests. The husband provided in his will for having the very 
last word, for he ordered his heir, on pain of disinheritance, 
to have inscribed on his tombstone, at the place of his 
burial, the following words : 

"under this marble TOMB LIES THE BODY 

OF THE HON. JOHN CUSTIS, ESQ., 

OF THE CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG, 

AND PARISH OF BRUTON, 

FORMERLY OF HUNGAR PARISH, ON THE 

EASTERN SHORE 

OF VIRGINIA, AND COUNTY OF NORTHAMPTON, 

AGED 71 YEARS, AND YET LIVED BUT SEVEN YEARS, 

WHICH WAS THE SPACE OF TIME HE KEPT 

A bachelor's home at ARLINGTON, 

ON THE EASTERN SHORE OF VIRGINIA." 

The only son and heir of Colonel Custis was Daniel 
Parke Custis, who was born at Arlington. He was tardy 
in choosing a wife. His father earnestly desired him to 
marry his pretty cousin, Evelyn Byrd, of Westover, oh her 
return from England. She was a charming maiden, four 
years the senior of Daniel. Her father. Col. William Byrd, 
was possessed of a princely estate, and exercised a very 
wide social influence. The wedding of this couple would 
have been pleasant to the parents of both, but Daniel 
Parke Custis did not acquiesce in his father's wishes. The 
colonel was disappointed, chagrined, and irritated. His am- 



MARTHA DANDRIDGE AND HER LOVER. 87 

bitious desires to unite the two families by still stron-er ties 
were paramount to the happiness of his son, and he not only 
positively refused to give his consent to Daniel's marriajje 
to any one else, but he threatened to disinherit him in case 
he should refuse to marry Evelyn Byrd.* But the son was 
firm, and the conduct of his father strengthened the young 
man s determination not to marry his cousin. 

Years passed on, Daniel Parke Custis had journeyed be- 
yond the thirtieth year of his life, when he became smitten 
by the charms of Martha Dandridge. He wooed and won 
her heart, and desired to marry her. His father refused his 
corisent. Colonel Dandridge's sweet daughter was loved 
and admired by everybody. From every lip fell eulogies of 
her personal beauty, her good sense, her amiability of char- 
acter, and her goodness of heart. These eulogies continu- 
ally reached the ears of Colonel Custis. They assailed him 
at all points. He listened to the persuasions of a friend of 
both father and son, and finally yielded. At an interview 
at Wilhamsburg with this friend, the colonel handed him the 
following memorandum: "I give my free consent to the 
Union of my son, Daniel, with Martha Dandridge " The 
happy negotiator of the treaty wrote at once to Daniel, who 
was on his estate in New Kent, saying, 

* Evelyn Byrd joined her father in England when shc^was about 
twelve years of age. She remained there until she was grown to youn. 
womanhood, and was a most attractive member of a brilliant social cir- 
cle. She became engaged to marry the young nobleman who afterwards 
became the famous Lord Peterborough, but .heir nuptials were inadmis- 
sible, for he was a Roman Catholic and she was a Protestant. She re 
turned to Virgmia with her father, was never married, and died at Wes 
tover. 



88 MARTHA, THK WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

"This comes at last to bring you the news that I believe 
will be most agreeable to you of any you have ever heard. 
That you may not be long in suspense I will tell you at 
once. I am empowered by your father to let you know that 
he heartily and willingly consents to your marriage with 
Miss Dandridge ; that he has so good a character of her 
that he rather you should have her than any lady in Vir- 
ginia — nay, if possible, he is as much enamoured with her 
character as you are with her person, and this is owing 
chiefly to a prudent speech of her own. Hurry down im- 
mediately, for fear he should change the strong inclination 
he has to your marrying directly. I stayed with him all 
night, and presented Jack* with my little Jack's horse, bri- 
dle, and saddle, in your name, which was taken as a singu- 
lar favor. J. Power." t 

Mr. Custis had already obtained the consent of Colonel 
Dandridge to marry his daughter.* Within an hour after he 
received Power's message, the lover was in the saddle on 
the way to the mansion of his affianced with his father's 
written pledge of acquiescence. There he tarried a day and 
a night. All the preliminaries for their speedy wedding 
were arranged, and in less than three weeks afterwards their 
nuptials were celebrated. 

At this time Daniel Parke Custis had a delightful resi- 
dence known as "The White House," on the Pamunkey 

* T'ick was a small negro boy to whom Colonel Custis had taken such a 
fancy that when his son Daniel positively refused to marry Evelyn Byrd, 
he made a will bequeathing all his fortune to this boy. Through the 
solicitations of his friends and the power of his paternal feelings, when 
his passion had subsided he destroyed the will. Then he manumitted 
tlie boy, and provided his mother, Alice, with a comfortable maintenance. 

f Copied from an autograph letter at Arlington House. 



V 



MARTHA DANDRIDGE's MARRIAGE. 89 

River, in New Kent County. Around it lay his large landed 
estate. He was a kind-hearted, generous, just, and amiable 
young man, beloved by his friends, his neighbors, and his 
servants. 

A few miles from the White House stood St. Peter's 
Church. It was built in 1703 at a cost of one hundred and 
forty-six thousand pounds of tobacco, then a part of the 
currency of Virginia. At the time we are considering, the 
Rev. David Mossum had been its rector more than twenty 
years. He was superior in character and attainments to 
most of the clergy of the Established Church in Virginia, 
who, as a rule, had not been trustworthy guides and exem- 
plars in religion and morals.* Mossum was from Newbury- 
port, Massachusetts, and was the first native-born American 
admitted to the office of Presbyter in the (Jhurch of Kng- 
land. He had been married four times. He was now ir- 
ritable in temper and morose in disposition, made so, it was 
said, by being continually harassed by his fourth wife, who 
was a shrew he could not tame. He sometimes displayed 
his petulance in the pulpit. 

On one occasion he had quarrelled with the clerk in the 
vestry, and he assailed him in the sermon that followed. 
The clerk was equal to the occasion, and retaliated by giv- 
ing out from the desk the psalm beginning with the lines, 

* "Your clergy in these parts are a very ill example," wrote the Rev. 
Nicholas Moreau, of St. Peter's parish, to the Hishop of London, at the 
close of the seventeenth century. "No discipline nor canons of the 
Church are observed. Several ministers have caused such high scandal 
of late, and have raised such prejudices among the people against the 
clergy, that hardly can they be persuaded to take a clergyman into their 
parish." 



90 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

" With restless and ungovern'd rage 
Why do the heathen storm ? 
Why on such rash attempts engage 
As they can ne'er perform ?" 

The nuptials of Daniel Parke Custis and Martha Dan- 
d ridge were celebrated in St. Peter's Church, on a pleasant 
morning in June, 1749, when the bride was seventeen years 
of age. She was ''given away" by Colonel Dandridge. 
Among the happiest faces seen on the occasion was that of 
the venerable John Custis, father of the bridegroom, who, 
at the conclusion of the ceremony, saluted his beautiful 
daughter-in-law with a kiss on both cheeks. The assem- 
bled company of friends rode from the church to the White 
House, the wedded pair in a coach drawn by four white 
horses, flanked by six young black outriders dressed in 
white. A sumptuous entertainment was given at the man- 
sion to friends and relatives and the gentry of the sur- 
rounding country ; and the servants, enjoying a holiday, 
were made happy with feasting and presents. 

In his first letter written to his agent in London (Robert 
Gary) after his marriage, Mr. Custis wrote . " I desire a 
handsome watch for my wife, a pattern like the one you 
bought for Mrs. Burwell, with her name around the dial. 
There are just twelve letters in her name, Martha Custis, 
a letter for each hour marked on the dial-plate."* 

This watch is still in existence. It has a singular history. 
Mrs. Washington presented it to one of her four nieces 
(Miss Dandridge) who lived at Mount Vernon with her 
aunt after Washington's death. This niece afterwards be- 

* Copied from the first draft of the letter at Arlington House, in 1853. 



MR. AND MRS. CUSTIS. 



91 



came Mrs. Halyburton, and survived her aunt about thirty 
years. The watch remained in her family until after the 
late Civil War, The ruin 
which that catastrophe 
wrought in the fortunes of 
the family compelled them 
to sell the watch. It was 
sent to New York for the 
purpose. A generous citizen 
of Newburg, on the Hud- 
son (the late Enoch Carter), 
bought the watch and depos- 
ited it among the relics in 
Washington's head-quarters at 
iVewburg, where it now (1886) 
is.* 




Mr. and Mrs. Custis enjoy- 



MARTIIA CUSTIS'S WATCH. 



ed a happy wedded life for 

about seven years. They were always welcome visitors 
among the dwellers in the Virginia capital, and indulged 
much in its gayeties in the winter season. The husband 
was a special favorite of the burly Scotch governor, Din- 
widdle. When, early in 1755, the French and Indian War 
had begun, the governor made Custis lieutenant of Kent 
County, and soon afterwards commissioned him colonel of 



* The engraving is an exact representation of this watch in size and 
figure. It has a gold case, with a circle of white enamel inlaid with 
gold around the edges of the face and back. Over each numeral of the 
dial may be seen a letter of the name of Martha Custis, beginning at 
figure I. The c-namel of the face, or dial, is broken. The watch was 
made by Bawie, London. 



92 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 




DANIEL PAKKE CUSTIS- 



the militia of his district. He was about to call him to a 
seat in his council, when Death summoned the master of 
the White House from the earth. 

Four children had blessed this union of Daniel Parke 



CHILDREN OF MARTHA CUSTIS. 



93 




MARTHA CUSTIS. 



Custis with Martha Dandridge. The two elder children had 
died while they were very young, within a month of each 
other. This affliction bore with such crushing weight upon 
the affectionate father that his physical health became so 



94 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

impaired that when, in the spring of 1757, he was attacked 
by bilious fever, he had not strength sufficient to resist the 
destroyer. He died at the age of about forty-five years. 

Mrs. Custis was left a widow with two children (John 
Parke and Martha Parke) at the age of a little more than 
twenty-four years. Her husband had died intestate, leaving 
a very large estate, real and personal. She employed as 
her legal adviser Robert Carter Nicholas, then a rising 
young lawyer at Williamsburg, who afterwards filled a con- 
spicuous place in the legal and political history of Virginia. 
He was a friend of her husband, and was eminently trust- 
worthy. Pursuant to his advice she was appointed sole ad- 
ministrator of the great estate. She employed a trusty 
steward and other agents. Directing her affairs herself 
with these competent assistants, everything was managed 
with great prudence, and very soon all things pertaining to 
the settlement of the estate were well adjusted. 

Martha Custis was now one of the wealthiest widows in 
Virginia. Her husband had inherited the large estate of 
his father, and this, with his own property, became the pos- 
session of his wife and children. Her portion consisted of 
lands and money, the legal evidences of which, in the form 
of deeds, mortgages, bonds, and certificates of deposits in 
the Bank of England, were contained in a strong iron box 
which was at Arlington House at the breaking out of the 
late Civil War. 

About a year after the death of her husband, Mrs. Custis 
was visiting a friend, the owner of a large estate, who occu- 
pied a fine mansion not far from the White House on the 
same side of the Pamunkey. That friend was Major Will- 
iam Chamberlayne, who, with her father and husband, had 



MARTHA CUSTIS MEETS WASHINGTON. 95 

been vestryman of St. Peter's. His dwelling was at a pub- 
lic crossing of the river known as Williams's Ferry. 

On the day after the arrival of Mrs. Custis at the house 
of Major Chamberlayne, a young officer of stately figure 
and of noble mien and bearing, in military undress, riding 
a powerful chestnut-brown horse and accompanied by an 
elderly servant almost as tall as himself and quite as mili- 
tary in his manner, crossed the ferry. Major Chamber- 
layne had seen them embark on the bateau on the other 
side of the stream and met the travellers at the landing. He 
recognized the young officer, and pressed him to accept the 
hospitalities of his house for a day or two. The soldier 
declined, giving as an excuse urgent business with the gov- 
ernor and council at Williamsburg. Major Chamberlayne 
persisted in urging him to tarry. The young officer still 
declined, and was about to ride on, when the major brought 
up his reserve of persuasion by telling him that one of the 
most charming young widows in all Virginia was then under 
his roof. The soldier made a conditional surrender, the 
terms being that he should dine — only dine — with Major 
Chamberlayne and his family. 

That young officer was Col. George Washington. With 
him was his colored body-servant, Thomas Bishop, who had 
held the same relation to General Braddock, and at whose 
dying request he had entered the service of this gallant 
young Virginian. The horse which Washington rode, the 
one from which Braddock fell, mortally wounded, on the 
field of Monongahela, was bequeathed to him by the British 
general. Bishop was ordered to stable the horses, and 
have them ready for departure at a specified hour in the 
afternoon. 



96 MARTHA, THE WIFK OF WASHINGTON. 

Major cniamberlayne and his guest entered the house. 
The fame of Colonel Washington was then resounding in 
every Virginia household, and when he was introduced to 
the several guests in the drawing-room his presence pro- 
duced a profound impression of respect and admiration be- 
cause of his elegant figure, his courtly bearing, and the 
deserved honors which crowned his character. Tradition 
says that he and Mrs. Custis were mutually pleased at the 
moment of the introduction ; that it was a notable case of 
"love at first sight" The hero was charmed — nay spell- 
bound, by the beauty of the person and the fascinating 
manners and good sense of the young widow. 

The hours sped swiftly. The guests lingered long at the 
table— quite beyond the time appointed for the departure 
of Colonel Washington. Bishop, punctual as Time, had 
waited at the gate with his master's steed with puzzled 
mind, for its rider had never been tardy before. " Ah, 
Bishop," wrote a fair eye-witness, describing the scene, 
"there was an urchin in the drawing-room more powerful 
than King George and all his governors ! Subtle as a 
sphynx, he had hidden the important despatches from the 
soldier's sight, shut up his ears from the summons of the 
telltale clock, and was playing such pranks with the brav- 
est heart in Christendom that it fluttered with the excess of 
a new-found happiness !" 

Colonel Washington had been moved by the tender pas- 
sion several times before. While he was yet a lad his heart 
was inflamed with love for Mary Bland, whose charms drew 
from him some sentimental verses addressed to his " Low- 
land Beauty." Before he was seventeen years of age he 
became enamoured of the beautiful sister of the wife of his 



A CAPTURE. 97 

friend George Fairfax, and he wrote to his young friend, 
Henry Lee : 

" I pass my time very pleasantly, as there is a very agree- 
able young lady who lives in the same house ; but as that 
is only adding fuel to fire, it makes me the more uneasy, for 
by often and unavoidably being in company with her, re- 
vives my former passion for your Lowland Beauty,* whereas, 
were I to live more retired from young women, I might, in 
some measure, alleviate my sorrows by burying that chaste 
and troublesome passion in the grave of oblivion." 

A few years later, while on his way to Boston on a mili- 
tary errand to Governor Shirley (as he was now to Gov- 
ernor Fauquier), Major Washington was so impressed with 
the charms of Mary Phillipse, sister of Mi"s. Col. Beverly 
Robinson, at New York, that he then lingered long in her 
company, and resolved to offer her his heart and hand ; but 
while wooing courage to make the proposal, his companion- 
in - arms. Major Roger Morris, captured the damsel as a 
matrimonial prize. 

The sun had touched the western horizon when Colonel 
Washington arose to depart. Major Chamberlayne, who 
had watched his lingering in conversation with Mrs. Custis 
with amusement and satisfaction, said, 

'' No guest ever leaves my house after sunset." 

The colonel was not loath to stay. He and the young 
widow lingered long in conversation in the drawing-room 

* Henry Lee married Mary Bland, ^Washington'.s first love. She was 
a daughter of Col. Richard Bland, of Prince George's County. She be- 
came the^mother of " Legion Harry" Lee of the Revolution, the father 
of the late Gen. Robert E. Lee, commander-in-chief of the Confederate 
forces at near the close of the late Civil War. 

7 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 




COLONEL WASHINGTON AND MRS. CUSTIS. 



after the other guests had retired, and the sun had risen 
high in the firmament the next morning when he took leave 
of the fascinating lady and the hospitable host. The blos- 
soms of May never appeared so fragrant to him as on that 



THE ENGAGEMENT. 99 

thoughtful journey from the Pamunkey to Williamsburg, 
He finished his business there with all possible despatch, 
and retraced his journey to the Pamunkey. He turned 
from the road to Williams's Ferry, and reined up at the 
White House at near sunset, where he was graciously re- 
ceived by its mistress. It was the evening of a delicious 
late May day in 1758. The love-bound soldier remained 
until late the next day, when he and Bishop departed for 
the ferry. It was during this visit that George Washington 
and Martha Custis plighted their troth to each other. 

Months, weary months of service in the field by the gal- 
lant soldier, intervened before the nuptials of the happy 
couple. Letters passed between them at irregular intervals. 
Only one of these epistles, so far as I know, has escaped 
destruction. It was written by Washington near Fort 
Cumberland, in July, 1758. 

"We have begun our march for the Ohio," he wrote, 
" A Courier is starting for Williamsburg, and I embrace the 
opportunity to send a few words to one whose life is now 
inseparable from mine. Since that happy hour when we 
made our pledges to each other, my thoughts have been 
continually going to you as to another Self. That an All- 
powerful Providence may keep us both in safety is the 
prayer of your ever faithful & 

" Ever affectionate Friend 

"G. Washington.* 

" 20th of July. 

" Mrs. Martha Custis." 

Washington had hastened back to camp at Fort Cum- 
* Copied from the autograph at Arlington House. 



lOO MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

berland, and soon was begun the march towards the forks of 
the Ohio, which resulted in the capture of the post of Fort 
Duquesne late in November. The French had abandoned 
the fort, set it on fire, and by its light fled down the Ohio 
in boats at midnight. The troops under Washington's com- 
mand hoisted the British flag over the smoking ruins, and 
the name of the stronghold was changed to Fort Pitt, in 
honor of England's great commoner, then prime-minister. 
Washington left a small garrison to hold the post, marched 
the remainder of his troops to Winchester, and proceeded 
himself to Williamsburg. Having determined, if the cam- 
paign should prove successful, to retire from the army, he 
now settled all his public accounts, and in the last week in 
December, 1758, he resigned his commission, after a contin- 
uous service of more than five years. 

While he was engaged in the campaign of 1758, Colonel 
Washington had been elected a representative of Frederick 
County in the Virginia Assembly. He received a large 
pluralicy of votes over three opposing candidates.* This 
result was exceedingly gratifying to him, for his constituents 
were the people among whom he had long held military 
command. From that time until the beginning of the old 
war for independence, a period of about fifteen years. Colo- 
nel Washington was continuously a member of -the Virginia 

* This election cost Colonel Washington about $90. Among the 
items of charge which have been preserved are a hogshead and a bar- 
rel of punch, thirty-five gallons of wine, forty-three gallons of strong 
beer, cider, and dinner for his friends. Colonel Ward, who represented 
Washington at the election, when the result was known, was carried 
around the village of Winchester on the shoulders of men, while the 
people shouted huzzas for Colonel Washington. 



THE MARRIAGE. 10 1 

House of Burgesses, chosen at successive elections by large 
majorities. He was a representative of Frederick and Fair- 
fax counties at different times. 

On his way from Mount Vernon to Williamsburg, to take 
his seat in the Virginia Assembly the first time, late in De- 
cember, Colonel Washington spent a day or two at the 
White House, when the time for the solemnization of his 
marriage with Mrs. Custis was determined. It was fixed 
for the sixth of January (old style), 1759, about three weeks 
in the future. On that day, the air clear and cold, a 
multitude of people assembled at the little church of St. 
Peter, to witness the marriage of the widowed daughter of 
Colonel Dandridge to another noble husband. The Rev. 
Mr. Mossum again performed the nuptial ceremonies. The 
assemblage of friends and neighbors of the bride at the 
old fane was one of the most brilliant in character and in 
costume ever before seen in a church in Virginia. The 
officiating clergyman was robed in full canonicals. The 
bridegroom was clothed in a suit of blue cloth, the coat 
lined with red silk and ornamented with silver trimmings. 
His waistcoat was of white satin, embroidered ; his shoe 
and knee buckles were gold ; his hair was powdered, and 
by his side hung a straight dress -sword. The bride was 
attired in a white satin quilted petticoat, and a heavy, corded 
white silk overskirt ;* high-heeled shoes of white satin, with 



* Before me, while I write, lies (the property of a friend) a piece of 
Mrs. Washington's wedding-dress. It is heavy corded white silk, in- 
terwoven with silver threads. Also a piece of the white satin ribbon, 
brocaded with leaves, which was worn by Mrs. Washington on that oc- 
casion. It is about two inches in width, and forms a part of a book- 
mark, the design elegantly wrought with colored silks on finely perforated 



102 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

diamond buckles ; rich point-lace rufifles ; pearl necklace, 
ear-rings, and bracelet ; and pearl ornaments in her hair. 
She was attended by three bridesmaids. Among the at- 
tendants in the church were Lieutenant-governor Fauquier 
and his wife, and the neighboring gentry ; several English 
army and navy officers, then in colonial service, and many 
distinguished members of the Virginia Legislature. The 
governor was in a full dress of scarlet cloth, embroidered 
with gold, and wore a bag -wig and a dress -sword. The 
group of officers, civil and military, made a brilliant appear- 
ance. One of the most notable figures there, seen standing 
on the porch, was Bishop, Washington's body-servant, tall 
and stately in appearance, and dressed in the scarlet uni- 
form of a soldier of the royal army in the reign of George 
II., who was booted and spurred, and who held the bridle- 
reins of his master's favorite charger. On leaving the 
church the bride and her attendant ladies rode back to the 
White House in a coach drawn by six horses, guided by 
liveried black postilions, while Colonel Washington, upon 
his magnificent horse, richly caparisoned, attended by a brill- 
iant cortege of gay and cultured gentlemen, rode by the 
side of his beautiful bride. The entertainment at the White 
House, as on a former occasion, was sumptuous. 

paper by the fingers of Mrs. Lewis (Nelly Custis), a granddaughter of 
Mrs. Washington and a foster-child of the general. These precious 
mementos of Martha Washington were presented by Mrs. Lewis to 
Mrs. Gen. Alexander Hamilton. They were found among Mrs. Ham- 
ilton's effects after her death, with a written certificate of their genuine- 
ness, and were presented by Mrs. Philip Hamilton, her daughter-in-law. 
The design of the book-mark is composed of a cross intertwined with 
grape-leaves, a Bible, and a chalice standing upon it, symbolizing the 
eucharist. See the last page in this book. 



AN OLD SERVANTS RECOLLFCTIONS. IO3 

" I have heard much of that marriage from the lips of 
old servants who were participants in the gay scene," said 
Mr. Custis to me. " There was one named Cully, whose 
enthusiasm would kindle whenever the subject was touched 
upon. I said to him one day, when he was in the one hun- 
dredth year of his age, 

" ' And so. Cully, you remember when Colonel Washing- 
ton came a-courting of your mistress .-" 

" * Indeed I do, master,' said Cully. ' He was dar on'y 
fo' times afo' de wedding, for you see he was in de war all 
de time. We couldn't keep our eyes off him, he seemed so 
grand. An' Bishop 'peared mos' as grand as he.' 

" ' And the wedding, Cully,' I said. 

" * Great times, sir ! great times !' said Cully, his eyes 
sparkling with delight at the recollection. ' Shall never 
see de like agin. Mo' bosses an' car'ges, an' fine ladies an' 
gen'lmen dan when Missus was married afo'.' 

" ' And Colonel Washington, how did he look, Cully ?' I 
asked. 

" ' Neber see'd de like, sir ! neber de likes of him, tho' I've 
seen many in my day. He was so tall, so straight, so han'- 
some ! an' he set a boss and rid wid such an air ! Oh, he 
was so grand ! Ah, sir, he was like no one else. Many of 
de grandest gen'lmen in gold lace was at de weddin', but 
none look'd like de man hisself.' 

" ' And 3'our mistress .-" I said, inquiringly. 

" Cully raised both hands and his eyes towards the sky, 
and said, ' Oh, she was so bootiful an' so good !' " 



CHAPTER II. 

Colonel Washington did not take his bride to Mount 
Vernon immediately, but resided at the White House for 
about three months, meanwhile attending the sessions of 
the House of Burgesses. He engaged in arranging the af- 
fairs of Mrs. Washington's large estate, preparatory to her 
leaving the banks of the Pamunkey for those of the Poto- 
mac. He at once assumed the guardianship of her chil- 
dren, John Parke and Martha Parke Custis, and the care 
of their share of their father's estate. To Robert Cary, of 
London, agent of Mr. Custis's estate, he wrote, on May i, 

1759, 

"The enclosed is the clergyman's certificate of my mar- 
riage with Mrs. Martha Custis, properly, I am told, authen- 
ticated. You will therefore, for the future, address all your 
letters which relate to the affairs of the late Daniel Parke 
Custis to me, as by marriage I am entitled to a third part of 
that estate [the remainder was equally divided between the 
two children], and am invested, likewise, with the care of the 
other two-thirds by a decree of our General Court, which I 
obtained in order to strengthen the power I before had in 
consequence of my wife's administration." 

During their residence at the White House a session of 
the Virginia Legislature occurred, which Colonel Washing- 
ton attended, as we have observed. Mrs. Washington spent 
much of the period of that session with her husband at 



THE ESTATE AT MOUNT VERNON. 105 

the capital, participating in the usual gayeties of the court. 
Both had a keen relish for amusements. They were of 
nearly the same age. Washington was born in February, 
and his wife in May, J7_3_^ I have described the person of 
Mrs. Washington at the time of her first marriage. She was 
now very little changed in person — rather more matronly in 
appearance. Washington was six feet in stature, admirably 
proportioned, spare in flesh, and weighed about two hundred 
pounds. His hair was a rich, dark brown, like that of his 
wife, and his eyes were a grayish-blue, and expressive of 
deep thought. His complexion was florid, and his features 
were regular and rather heavy. Mrs. Washington always 
dressed with scrupulous regard to the requirements of the 
best fashions of the day. It was her habit to accompany 
her husband at Williamsburg during every session of the 
Assembly, and she was, in every respect, a brilliant member 
of the social circles which, before the Revolution, composed 
the vice-regal court at the old Virginia capital. 

Colonel Washington possessed an ample fortune inde- 
pendent of that of his wife, which added to it about one 
hundred thousand dollars. His estate at Mount Vernon 
was situated, he wrote, " in a high, healthy country, in a lati- 
tude between the extremes of heat and cold, on one of the 
finest rivers in the world — a river well stocked with various 
kinds of fish at all seasons of the year, and in the spring 
with shad, herrings, bass, carp, sturgeon, etc., in abundance. 
The borders of the estate," he continued, " are washed by 
more than ten miles of tide-water, several valuable fisheries 
appertain to it ; the whole shore, in fact, is one entire fish- 
ery." 

The mansion, we have observed, was two stories in height 



Io6 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

and had four rooms on each floor. A lawn sloping towards 
the high river-bank was shaded by stately trees of the pri- 
meval forest. The surface of the river before it abounded 
with water-fowl in their season, and the white wings of com- 
merce, connected with the port of Alexandria above, enliven- 
ed its placid bosom. Such was the home to which Colonel 
Washington took his bride in the spring of 1759, and crown- 
ed her queen of it — the happy beginning of a domestic reign 
for the space of forty years. His cup of happiness seemed 
full. To a kinsman in London he wrote, " I am now, I be- 
lieve, fixed in this spot with an agreeable partner for life ; 
and I hope to find more happiness in retirement than I ever 
experienced in the wide and bustling world." 

Almost every manufactured article used in Virginia at 
that time was imported. The ^Dsurd and blindly selfish 
laws of Great Britain forbade the pursuits of many product- 
ive industries in its American colonies, in order to secure a 
monopoly for her home mechanics, manufacturers, and mer- 
chants. The wealthy colonists were continually sending to 
London for supplies. Their orders included almost every 
article designed for domestic use — even the garments of 
men, women, and children. They depended upon the tai- 
lors and dress-makers of London for fashionable clothes. 
We find Washington writing to his kinsman, Richard Wash- 
ington, concerning clothes which he desires him to purchase 
and send by the first ship bound for the Potomac. 

" As they are designed for wearing-apparel for myself," 
Washington wrote, " I have committed the choice of them 
to your fancy, having the best opinion of your taste. I 
want neither lace nor embroidery. Plain clothes, with gold 
or silver buttons, if worn on genteel dress, are all that I 



IMPORTATION OF FAMILY CLOTHING. I07 

desire. I have hitherto had my clotlies made by one 
Charles Laurence. Whether it be the fault of the Tailor, 
or of the measure sent, I cannot say, but, certain it is, my 
clothes have never fitted me well. I therefore leave the 
choice of the workmen to you. I enclose a measure, and, 
for a further direction, I think it not amiss to add, that my 
stature is six feet ; otherwise rather slender than corpulent." 

As a bachelor Colonel Washington ordered only a man's 
clothing, articles for use on the farms, and implements and 
furniture for his household. In a duplicate order before 
me, he directs his correspondent to send him " a superfine 
blue cotton velvet suit, for a tall man, with garters for the 
breeches;" several pairs of shoes and "pumps" made over 
a specified last; riding gloves; "worked ruffles at 20s. a 
pair;" saddle, bridle, and "housings of fine blue cloth with 
a small edging of embroidery around them." 

In the summer after Washington's marriage far different 
items abound in his orders. For example, " i salmon col- 
ored tabby velvet of the enclosed pattern, with satin flowers, 
to be made in a sack and coat ; i cap, handkerchief, tucker 
[a piece of lace or linen pinned to the top of a woman's 
stays] and ruffles, to be made of Brussels lace or Point, 
proper to be worn with the above negligee, to cost ;^2o; 2 
fine flowered lawn aprons ; 2 double handkerchiefs ; 2 pairs 
of woman's white silk hose; 6 pairs fine cotton do. ; 4 pairs 
four threaded do. ; i pair black and i pair white satin 
shoes of the smallest fives; 4 pair callimanco [woollen stuff] 
shoes ; I fashionable hat or bonnet ; 6 pairs woman's best 
kid gloves ; 6 pairs mitts ; i doz. knots and breast-knots; i 
doz. round silk stay-laces ; i black mask ; i doz. most fash- 
ionable cambric pocket handkerchiefs ; 2 pairs neat small 



io8 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



scissors; real Minikin [very small] pins and hair-pins; 6 
pounds perfumed powder ; a puckered petticoat of fashion- 
able color ; a silver tabby velvet petticoat ; 2 handsome 
breast flowers ; sugar-candy," etc. 

In 1 76 1 Colonel Washington ordered the following arti- 
cles for " Master Custis, eight years old :" 

" One handsome suit of Winter Clothes ; a suit of Sum- 
mer clothes ; 2 pieces Nankeens with trimmings ; i silver 
laced hat ; 6 pr. fine cotton stock- 
ings ; I pr. fine worsted ditto ; 4 pr, 
strong shoes ; i pr. neat pumps ; i 
pr. gloves; 2 hair -bags; i piece of 
ribbon for ditto ; i pr. silver shoe 
and knee buckles ; i pr. sleeve but- 
tons; a small Bible neatly bound in 
Turkey, and John Parke Custis 
wrote in gilt letters on the inside of 
the cover ; a neat small Prayer Book 
bound as above, with John Parke 
Custis, as above." 

At this age a young liveried serv- 
ant was assigned to attend upon Mas- 
ter Custis on occasions, and Washington ordered the fol- 
lowing articles of dress for him: "3 prs. shoes for a boy 
14 years old ; three prs. coarse stockings for do. ; a suit of 
livery clothes and a hat for a boy 14 years old. Note. — 
Let the livery be suited to the arms of the Custis family."* 




ARMS OF THE CUSTIS 
FAMILY. 



* The arms of the Custis family worn on the livery was simply a 
spread-eagle, white, on a red ground. The crest was the head and neck 
of a griffin. 



HOME-LIFE OF WASHINGTON. Ill 

fied by paper-hangings, each of a different color, and these 
rooms were furnished with chairs the cloth bottoms of which 
harmonized in tints with the colors on the walls. I copied 
at Arlington House a duplicate order for plaster-cast por- 
traits of eminent military men, etc., as follows : 

'■'■ Directions for busts. — One of Alexander the Great; an- 
other of Julius Caesar; another of Charles XII. of Sweden ; 
and a fourth of the King of Prussia [Frederick the Great]. 
These are not to exceed fifteen inches in height nor ten in 
width. Two other busts of Prince Eugene and the Duke of 
Marlborough, somewhat similar. Two wild beasts not to 
exceed twelve inches in height nor eighteen in length. Sun- 
dry ornaments for chimney-piece." 

Washington admired and reverenced the great men he 
named in his order, especially his contemporary, Frederick 
the Great. When, more than a 5Core of years afterwards, 
the great American had won renown equal, in just estima- 
tion, to that of the most illustrious of these heroes, he re- 
ceived from Frederick a portrait of that great Prussian 
monarch, accompanied with these words : " From the Oldest 
General in Europe to the Greatest General in the World." 

Life at Mount Vernon after the advent of Mrs. '\\'ashing- 
ton until the breaking out of the old war for independence 
was in accordance with that at the homes of all other wealthy 
Virginia planters at that day, and partook of much of the 
style of the English aristocracy. There were luxuries in 
moderate abundance but no extravagance. The master was 
thoughtful, prudent, and methodical ; the mistress v/as a 
thorough house-keeper, looking after every detail of house- 
hold affairs, with a bunch of keys always hanging at her 
side, and directing the servants in all their labors. At 



112 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

home and without guests she was always seen in very plain 
attire, and busy with brain and hands from early morning 
until night. When entertaining guests she was always 
dressed quite plainly and very neatly, but when she was 
abroad none appeared more gay and fashionable in attire 
than Mrs. Washington. 

Mount Vernon was seldom without guests. The master 
and mistress delighted in social intercourse. They fre- 
quently visited Annapolis, the capital of Maryland, then 
noted for its refined society. They generously reciprocated 
the civilities received. When they were at home, a day sel- 
dom passed without the company of friends or strangers. 
Washington's diaries abound with notices of the arrival and 
departures of their guests. Among them may be seen the 
names of governors of Virginia and Maryland, and eminent 
men of the middle and southern colonies, who were after- 
wards conspicuous in our country's history. The eccentric 
old Lord Fairfax, of Greenway Court, was a very frequent 
guest at Mount Vernon on many occasions. 

Washington was exceedingly fond of the chase, and in- 
dulged much in the excitements of this sport, although, as 
he confessed, he was not an expert hunter. At the proper 
season he would be out hunting foxes and deer two or 
three times a week. His diaries contain entries like the 
following, giving the result of a day's sport : 

"Went a-hunting with Jacky Custis, and catched a fox 
after three hours chase; found it in the creek." 

" Mr. Bryan Fairfax, Mr. Grayson, and Phil Alexander 
came home by sunrise. Hunted and catched a fox with 
these, Lord Fairfax, his brother, and Colonel Fairfax — all 
of whom with Mr. Fairfax and Mr. Wilson, of England, 




WASHINGTON EQUIPPED FOR THE CHASE. 



ijf'B 



/v v^Ta 



HUNTING AND SOCIAL ENJOYMENTS. II5 

dined here." Two days afterwards he recorded: "Hunted 
again with the same company." 

The hunting days generally ended in a dinner at Mount 
Vernon, or at Belvoir, the seat of the Fairfaxes, a little low- 
er down the Potomac. 

Dinner-parties among the gentry in the neighborhood 
were very frequent. In these enjoyments the ladies partici- 
pated. One day the guests would dine at Mount Vernon, 
on another day at Gunston Hall, on another day at Bel- 
voir, and on another, perhaps, at Alexandria. Entries like 
the following may be seen in Washington's diary, sometimes 
as often as three days in a week : 

*' With Mrs. Washington, Mr. Custis, and Miss Custis, 
dined at Belvoir." 

Guests, especially the sportsmen, were sometimes enter- 
tained at Mount Vernon for weeks during the hunting sea- 
son. And so the round of visiting ' amusement went on 
for years in a style and at an e-" vhich only a wealthy 

planter could afford. "Woul believe," Washing- 

ton wrote in his diary in 176 ith a hundred and ^ 

one cows, actually reported at l enumeration of the 

cattle, I should still be obliged to uuy butter for my family.!"" 

We must bear in mind that the fine herds of milk-pro- 
ducers, and the quality of their products for making butter 
of our day, were then unknown. 

Colonel Washington was very fond of good horses. His 
stables held many fine, blooded animals, and these were at 
the service of his guests. Their names, like those of his 
hounds, were all registered in a book.* For the exclusive 



* Among the names of his horses were Chinkling, Ajax, Valiant, 



Il6 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON, 

use of Mrs. Washington he kept a chariot and four horses, 
with black postilions in livery.* This equipage was fre- 
quently seen and admired on the road between Mount 
Vernon and Alexandria, or of the neighboring estates. 
Washington himself generally rode abroad on horseback, 
accompanied by Bishop in scarlet livery. Sometimes Mrs. 
Washington was his companion, riding a pony, and often 
attired in a scarlet riding-habit. He was a skilful horse- 
man, and his superb figure and dignified bearing made him, 
when fully equipped for the road,t an attractive and impos- 
ing object. 

Magnolia, Blue Skin, and Holly. Blue Skin was a full-blooded Ara- 
bian, and Washington generally rode him when on the road. Among 
the names of his hounds were Vulcan, Ringwood, Singer, Truelove, 
Music, Sweetlips, Forrester, and Rockwood. Their kennel was vis- 
ited every morning and evening by the master ; so also were his sta- 
bles. In hunting. Colonel Washington wore a short blue coat, or hunt- 
ing jacket, scarlet waistcoat, buckskin breeches, top-boots, velvet cap, 
and a whip with a long thong. He took the field at daybreak with his 
huntsman. Will Lee, who was his trusted body-servant, " Billy," during 
the war for independence. 

* The Washington liv >y^,was white, trimmed with scarlet, in accord- 
^^^r-'^ance with the arms of uie family — the alternate white and red bars of 
the escutcheon. 

f The following is copied from an invoice of goods ordered from 
London for his equipment for the road: "A man's riding saddle, hog- 
skin seat, large plated stirrups and everything complete; double reined 
bridle and Pelham bit, complete; a very neat and fashionable Newmar- 
ket saddle-cloth ; A large and best Portmanteau, saddle and bridle and 
\ pillion ; cloak -bag surcingle, checked saddle-cloth, holsters, &c. ; a riding 

\ frock of handsome drab colored broadcloth, with plain double-gilt but- 

tons; a riding waistcoat of superfine scarlet cloth and gold lace with but- 
tons like those of the coat; a blue surtout coat; A neat switch-whip, 
silver cup; black velvet cap for servant." 



HOME PIETY. 



117 



On Sundays Washington rode in his chaise with his fam- 
ily at first to the old and afterwards to the new Pohich 
Church, several miles distant, where the Rev. Charles Green 
and the Rev. Lee Massey officiated. There were no more 
punctual attendants upon public worship than the family at 




POHICH CHURCH. 



Mount Vernon. The daily life of both the master and mis- 
tress was ever governed by deep-seated religious principles, 
seldom manifested by word but made conspicuous by deeds. 
Mrs. Washington was unaffectedly pious. It was her daily 
habit, from the time of her first marriage until her final de- 
parture from earth, to retire to her chamber immediately after 
breakfast to hold communion with her Maker — to read the 
Scriptures, meditate, and pray. These habitual exercises of 
the spirit strengthened her for the duties of the day before her. 



Il8 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Mrs. Washington and her husband sometimes attended 
balls and parties given by fashionable persons at Alexan- 
dria and Annapolis. They also attended the theatrical per- 
formances at Williamsburg and Annapolis, of which they 
were very fond. This intellectual amusement had been in- 
troduced into America (first at the Virginia capital) before 
this noble couple were born. 

To persons of habits like those of Washington and his 
wife this participation in amusements, in hunting scenes, in 
the enjoyment of social intercourse, and in the performance 
of official duties, was not incompatible with due attention 
to the house and farm at Mount Vernon. They gave zest 
to domestic and agricultural employment. The master was 
methodical in all his ways, and such a careful manager of 
his estate that he made it profitable. He personally super- 
intended all out-of-door operations. He left his bed at four 
o'clock in the morning at all seasons of the year. The time 
before breakfast (at seven o'clock in the summer and at 
eight o'clock in the winter) was spent in his library and in 
visits to his stables and kennel. After a frugal meal of In- 
diancakes, honey, tea or coffee, he would mount his horse 
and ride sometimes ten or twelve miles between breakfast 
and dinner, visiting every place on his farms where work 
was going on, and frequently directing his overseers, in de- 
tail, the methods to be pursued. He was always abstemi- 
ous at table, and invariably retired at nine o'clock in the 
evening, summer and winter. The mistress was also a very 
early riser, leaving her pillow at the dawn of day at all sea- 
sons, and becoming at once actively engaged in her house- 
hold duties. 

There was nothing which seriously disturbed the serene 



A WORTHY MOTHER AND DAUGHTER. I 19 

atmosphere of domestic and social life at Mount Vernon 
before the ominous clouds which overspread the political 
firmament during the decade preceding the old war for in- 
dependence, began to appear. 

From the beginning of her residence at Mount Vernon 
Mrs. Washington was greatly beloved because of her abound- 
ing charities towards the needy, and her motherly care of all 
the servants on the great estate. She ever tried to conceal 
her deeds of charity from all but the recipients, not allowing 
her left hand to know what her right hand was doing ; but 
the voice of gratitude continually revealed the secrets. As 
her daughter grew towards womanhood, the mother impress- 
ed upon the maiden's mind and heart the conviction that 
men and women are merely stewards of their Father's boun- 
ty, and that "it is more blessed to give than to receive." 
That sweet young woman — the "dark lady," as she was 
called, because of the deep brunette of her complexion — 
also came to be regarded by the poor and the afflicted as 
an angel of mercy. She might often be seen on her pony, 
attended only by a single servant carrying a basket, making 
quite long journeys on her holy errands to the homes of the 
sufiferinsr. 



CHAPTER III. 

After the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765, which filled 
the colonies with indignation and alarm, another class of 
visitors than hitherto frequented Mount Vernon. It was 
composed of patriotic citizens who came to confer with 
Colonel Washington on the aspect of public affairs. His 
friend and neighbor, George Mason, a leading spirit of the 
time, was often there ; also his early playmate in West- 
moreland, Richard Henry Lee, and the impetuous Patrick 
Henry. 

When, in the spring of 1769, Colonel Washington received 
copies of the proceedings and resolutions of merchants in 
Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, by which they agreed 
to cease importing certain articles from Great Britain until 
the grievances of which the colonists complained should be 
reduced, he sent them to Mason with a letter of strong ap- 
proval of the scheme. " In my opinion it is a good one," 
he wrote, " and must be attended with salutary effects, pro- 
vided it can be carried pretty generally into execution." 
Mason cordially acquiesced, and immediately drew up a se- 
ries of articles in the form of an " Association " to the same 
effect, to be laid before the Virginia Assembly. 

Mason was not a member of that body but Washington 
was, and when the Burgesses met soon afterwards he laid 
the paper before them. The Burgesses passed such bold 
resolutions that the governor, the good Lord Botetourt 



FAMILY PORTRAITS. 1 23 

the seventeenth year of her age. Washington remained 
some time at Mount Vernon to comfort his grief-burdened 
wife, and to recover, himself, from the blow. 

About a year before the death of Miss Custis, when she 
was just blooming into ripening womanhood, Charles Will- 
son Peale, a young artist of Annapolis, was invited to Mount 
Vernon on professional business. He painted for Mrs. 
Washington a miniature portrait of her beautiful daughter ; 
also a miniature portrait of herself for her son, John Parke 
Custis, who was then between seventeen and eighteen years 
of age. The picture of Martha Parke Custis, Peale after- 
wards copied for himself. I saw that copy many years 
ago, in possession of the artist's son, Rembrandt Peale. 
On the back of the picture were the words, " A Virginia 
Beauty." 

Peale at that time painted a portrait of Washington, then 
forty years of age, in the military costume of a Virginia 
colonel — a dark blue coat faced with red, and dark red 
waistcoat and breeches. It is the same size and form as the 
portraits of ]\[rs. Washington and her first husband (three- 
quarters length), which were painted by Woolaston, and 
were then suspended on the walls at Mount Vernon. 

Mrs. Washington's affections were now centred in her 
son, who was a most amiable and generous youth, often 
thoughtless, quite impulsive, and sometimes wayward. His 
mother had always been very indulgent towards him, often 
pleading in his behalf when his guardian found it necessary 
to enforce the wholesome restraints of proper discipline. 
He had been placed under the care of the Rev. Jonathan 
Bouchier, an Episcopal clergyman at Annapolis, to be edu- 
cated ; but he loved field-sports more than books, and was 



124 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

often away from his studies indulging in fox-hunting, fowl- 
ing, or fishing at Mount Vernon. 

Before he was seventeen years of age young Custis con- 
ceived a strong desire to travel in Europe. This desire was 
fostered by his tutor, and his mother, yielding her judgment 
to her feelings of tenderness, reluctantly consented. Wash- 
ington acquiesced but did not approve the measure. 

Early in the summer of 1771 preliminary' plans were ar- 
ranged for the youth to cross the Atlantic with his tutor. 
The lad's strong desire to go abroad soon cooled, however, 
and in July Washington wrote to Mr. Bouchier informing 
him of the change in the boy's aspirations. In that letter 
his guardian referred to the fact that young Custis knew 
" something of Latin, but nothing of Greek " nor of French 
— the latter so necessary for a traveller on the Continent. 
" He has little or no knowledge of arithmetic, and is totally 
ignorant of the mathematics," his guardian also wrote, and 
alluded to the great disadvantage under which such an un- 
educated youth would travel. 

With evident satisfaction Washington expressed his opin- 
ion that the " whole design might be totally defeated.'' He 
continued : " Before I thought myself at liberty to encour- 
age this plan, I judged it highly reasonable and necessary 
that his mother should be consulted. I laid your first letter 
and proposals before her, and desired that she would reflect 
well before she resolved, as an unsteady behavior might be 
a disadvantage to you. Her determination was, that, if it 
appeared to be his determination to undertake this tour, 
and it should be judged for his benefit, she would not op- 
pose it, whatever pang it might give her to part with him. 
To this determination she still adheres, but in so faint a 



MARRIAGE OF MRS. WASHINGTON S SON. 



125 



manner that I think with her fears and his indifference it 
will soon be declared he has no inclination to go." 

The scheme was abandoned, and young Custis was pay- 
ing more attention to his books, when a passion stronger 
than a desire to travel diverted him from his studies. He 
had become enamoured of 
Eleanor, the beautiful 
daughter of Benedict Cal- 
vert, of Mount Airy, Mary- 
land, a descendant of Lord 
Baltimore and a man of 
wealth and distinction. 
The young people had 
actually formed a matri- 
monial engagement with- 
out the knowledge of their 
friends. When Washing- 
ton heard of it, he wrote 
to Mr. Calvert, saying he 
had no objection to the 
union, if agreeable to her 

father, and confessing that " Miss Nelly's amiable quali- 
ties " were " acknowledged on all hands," and that an alli- 
ance with Mr. Calvert's family would be pleasing to his. 
He then interposed the objection of their extreme youth, 
and the inexperience and unripe education of his ward, as, 
in his opinion, insuperable objections to the consummation 
of the marriage at that time, "As his guardian," wrote 
Washington, '" I consider it my indispensable duty to en- 
deavor to carry him through a regular course of education," 
and he proposed the postponement of the marriage foi 




JOHN PARKE CUSTIS. 



126 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

"two or three years." This was in the spring of 1773, not 
long before the death of Martha Parke Custis. 

It was agreed that the youth should pass two years in a 
higher seminary of learning, so as to perfect his education. 
He was accordingly sent to King's (now Columbia) College, 
in New York City, at the opening session in 1773 ; but he 
did not remain there long. Love and study did not move 
in harmony. He was permitted to leave the college at the 
end of about three months, and on the third day of Febru- 
ary, 1774, he and Eleanor Calvert were married at Mount 
Airy, the seat of her father. The bridegroom was then a 
little past nineteen years of age ; the bride was sixteen. 
Her portrait, painted a short time before her nuptials, rep- 
resents a very young maiden in a riding costume, with 
a boy's hat and open jacket, her figure slight and grace- 
ful. 

Washington attended the wedding of his ward, but Mrs. 
Washington, still very sad because of the loss of her sweet 
daughter, and unwilling to mar, with her serious face, the 
gayety that should prevail at Mount Airy on the occasion, 
remained at home, but sent a note by her husband to hand 
to the bride immediately after the nuptial ceremonies. It 
was preserved by the family of her grandson, at Arlington 
House, so late as i860, when I made the following copy 
from the original : 

" My Dear Nelly : 

" God took from Me a Daughter when June 
Roses were blooming — He has now given me another 
daughter, about her Age when Winter Winds are blowing, 
to warm my Heart again. I am as Happy as One so Af- 
flicted and so Blest can be. Pray receive my Benediction 



HER son's children. 1 27 

and a Wish that You may long live the Loving Wife of my 
happy Son, and a Loving Daughter of 

" Your Affectionate Mother, 

" M. Washington." 

The young couple made their abode at Abingdon, a pleas- 
ant seat on a portion of the estate of young Custis, on the 
Potomac, not far from Mount Vernon. The world before 
them appeared very bright in aspect. The young husband 
would soon come into the possession of his estate, which 
consisted of about fifteen thousand acres of land adjoining 
or near Williamsburg, several lots in that city, between two 
and three hundred slaves, and about twenty-five or thirty 
thousand dollars upon bonds in the hands of his merchants. 
To this property would be added that of his mother at her 
death. This estate, v/ith the handsome dower of his wife, 
made John Parke Custis rank among the wealthy planters 
of Virginia. 

Four children were the fruits of this union : Elizabeth 
Parke, born in August, 1776; Martha Parke, in December, 
1777; Eleanor Parke, in March, 1779, and George Wash- 
ington Parke, in April, 1781. The first three were born at 
Abingdon ; George Washington Parke was born at the seat 
of Mr. Calvert, at Mount Airy. 

The marriage of her son so happily, soothed the smitten 
spirit of Mrs. Washington, and she indulged in dreams of 
much domestic happiness. Alas ! they were evanescent. 
Ominous clouds of wrath were already gathering in the po- 
litical firmament, foreboding a fierce tempest of passion. A 
crisis in public affairs in America was rapidly approaching. 
The ** Boston Tea Party," in December, 1773, had aroused 
the anger of the British Parliament, and a decree went forth 



128 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON, 

ordering the punishment of the inhabitants of that flourish- 
ing American town by closing its port to commerce on the 
lirst of June, 1774. This cruel measure stirred up the re- 
sentment and the patriotism of the British-American colo- 
nies, stretched a thousand miles along the Atlantic sea- 
board. Arrangements were immediately made, through 
committees of correspondence, for a meeting of representa- 
tives of each colony at Philadelphia early in September, 
1774. as a general committee to consider the public griev- 
ances and a remedy therefor, and to devise measures for 
future concerted action. This committee was called a Con- 
tinental Congress. 

Washington was an earnest promoter of this important 
measure. He had said publicly, " I will raise a thousand 
men, subsist them at my own expense, and march with them 
at their head for the relief of Boston." To an officer in the 
British service, who remonstrated with him, he wrote, "Per- 
mit me with the freedom of a friend to express my sorrow 
that fortune should have placed you in a service that must 
fix curses to the latest posterity upon the contrivers, and, if 
success (which, by-the-way, is impossible) accompanies it, 
execrations upon all those who have been instrumental in 
the execution." 

Washington was a member of the First Continental Con- 
gress. In this movement, so perilous to his domestic peace, 
to his estate, and even to his liberty and life, his wife most 
cheerfully and ardently acquiesced. To a kinswoman who 
deprecated his " folly," Mrs. Washington wrote, with much 
warmth, 

" Yes ; I foresee consequences ; dark days and darker 
nights; domestic happiness suspended; social enjoyments 



THE COLONIES AROUSED TO RESISTANCE. 1 29 

abandoned ; property of every kind put in jeopardy by war, 
perhaps ; neighbors and friends at variance, and eternal 
separations on earth possible. But what are all these evils 
when compared with the fate of which the Port Bill may be 
only a threat ? My mind is made up ; my heart is in the 
cause. George is right ; he is always right. God has 
promised to protect the righteous, and I will trust him." 

Patrick Henry and Edmund Pendleton, colleagues of 
Washington in the Virginia delegation, spent a day and 
night at Mount Vernon on their way to attend the Con- 
gress. On the morning of August 31st they departed on 
horseback, accompanied by Washington. The three gen- 
tlemen reached Philadelphia on September 4th, the day be- 
fore the meeting of the Congress. 

Mr. Pendleton afterwards wrote to a friend, " I was much 
pleased with Mrs. Washington and her spirit. She seemed 
ready to make any sacrifice, and was very cheerful, though 
I know she felt very anxious. She talked like a Spartan 
mother to her son on going to battle. ' I hope you will all 
stand firm — I know George will,' she said. The dear little 
woman was busy from morning until night with domestic 
duties, but she gave us much time in conversation and af- 
fording us entertainment. When we set off in the morning, 
she stood in the door and cheered us with the good words, 
' God be with you, gentlemen !' " 

The Continental Congress, sitting in Carpenter's Hall, in 
Philadelphia, debated long, passed bold resolutions, adopt- 
ed a Declaration of Rights, a Non-importation Association, 
an Address to the People of Great Britain and to the In- 
habitants of the Several American Colonies, a Petition to 
the King, and an Address to the Inhabitants of the Prov- 

9 



130 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ince of Quebec. These State papers were models of their 
kind, and excited the admiration of European statesmen. 

When Patrick Henry was asked, " Who do you think the 
greatest man in Congress .'" he replied, •' If you speak of 
eloquence, Mr. Rutledge, of South Carolina, is by far the 
greatest orator; but if you speak of solid information and 
sound judgment, Colonel Washington is unquestionably 
the greatest man on that floor." 

When this Congress separated, late in October, after 
making provisions for another the following year, if neces- 
sary, there was a general impression that war was inevitable. 
*' I would advise persisting in our struggle for liberty,'' ex- 
claimed Samuel Adams, " though it were revealed from 
Heaven that nine hundred and ninety-nine men were to 
perish, and only one of a thousand to survive and retain 
his liberty.^ One such freeman must possess more virtue 
and enjoy more happiness than a thousand slaves ; and let 
him propagate his like, and transmit to them what he hath 
so nobly preserved." "We must fight!" said Joseph Haw- 
ley. "We must fight!" said Patrick Henry. "An appeal 
to arms and the God of Hosts is all that is left us." " We 
must fight !" said patriotic lips, voicing patriotic hearts, 
everywhere, 

Washington was at home most of the time from the clos- 
ing of the Continental Congress until the meeting of the 
Virginia Convention, late in March, 1775. There were vis- 
itors at Mount Vernon almost continually, not for pleasure 
but for counsel. Independent military companies were 
forming and drilling ; and as Washington was the foremost 
military character in the colony, he was continually con- 
sulted by the officers. Independent companies chose hiiji, 



THE BIRTH-THROES OF A NATION. I3I 

for their field-officer, as it was expected, in case of war, he 
would be placed in the chief command of the Virginia 
forces. He accepted the burdens, and reviewed these com- 
panies at their different places of rendezvous. He inspired 
them all with enthusiasm. To his brother, John Augus- 
tine, who was training an independent company, he wrote : 
" I shall very cheerfully accept the honor of commanding 
it, if occasion require it to be drawn out, as it is my full 
intention to devote my life and fortune in the cause we are 
engaged in, if needful." 

Washington was an efficient member of the Virginia Con- 
vention which assembled on the 20th of March and adopted 
a plan for embodying, arming, and disciplining the militia. 
He was also chosen a delegate to the Second Continental 
Congress, which assembled at Philadelphia on the loth of 
May, 1775, when all the colonies, and especially those of 
New England, were in a blaze of excitement. British troops 
had been sent out from Boston on a plundering expedition 
in April. The blood of patriotic yeomanry had been shed by 
British soldiers at Lexington and Concord, and thousands 
of the sons of toil from the hills and valleys of New Eng- 
land, armed and unarmed, had gathered at Cambridge, de- 
termined to imprison the marauders of the royal army Vt^ho 
had been driven back with slaughter and alarm, within the 
narrow bounds of the Boston peninsula. On the very day 
when the Congress assembled at Philadelphia, Colonel 
Ethan Allen, with a band of resolute " Green Mountain 
Boys," had captured and taken possession of the strong 
British fortress at Ticonderoga, on Lake Champlain, in "the 
name of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." 

At the middle of June the Congress adopted as a " Con- 



132 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

tinental Army," the motley host of patriots who had gath- 
ered at Cambridge, and chose Colonel Washington to be its 
commander-in-chief. At the hour when a sanguinary battle 
between the British and Americans was raging on Bunker 
(Breed's) Hill he accepted the great trust, on the condition 
which he proposed, that he should not receive compensation 
for his services, but have his necessary expenses paid. He 
left Philadelphia without returning to Mount Vernon, and 
from that time until the end of the struggle, late in 1783, 
he visited his beloved home on the Potomac only twice. 

On the 3d of July he formally assumed the command of 
the army at Cambridge. He had written to his wife on the 
1 8th of June, saying, 

" My Dearest : 

" I now sit down to write to you on a sub- 
ject which fills me with inexpressible concern, and this 
concern is greatly aggravated and increased when I reflect 
upon the uneasiness I know it will give you. It has been 
determined in Congress that the whole army raised for the 
defence of the American cause shall be put under my care, 
and that it is necessary for me to proceed immediately to 
Boston to take \ipon me the command of it. 

'" You may believe me, niy dear Patsy, when I assure 
you, in the most solemn manner, that, so far from seeking 
this appointment, I have used every endeavor in my power 
to avoid it, not only from my unwillingness to part with you 
and the family, but from a consciousness of its being a 
trust too great for my capacity, and that I should enjoy 
more real happiness in one month with you at home than I 
have the most distant prospect of finding abroad, if my stay 
were to be seven times seven years. But as it has been a 
kind of destiny that has thrown me upon this service, I shall 



WASHINGTON IN COMMAND OF THE ARMY. 135 

hope that my undertaking is designed to answer some good 
• purpose. You might, and I suppose did perceive, front the 
tenor of my letters, that I was apprehensive I could not 
avoid this appointment, as I did not pretend to intimate 
when I should return. That was the case. It was utterly 
out of my power to refuse this appointment without expos- 
ing my character to such censures as would have reflected 
dishonor upon myself and given pain to my friends. This, 
I am sure, would not and ought not to be pleasing to you,' 
and must have lessened me considerably in my own esteem! 
I shall rely, therefore, confidently on that Providence which 
has heretofore preserved and been bountiful to me, not 
doubting but that I shall return safe to you in the fall. I 
shall feel no pain from the toil or the danger of the cam- 
paign ; my unhappiness will flow from the uneasiness you 
will feel from being left alone. I therefore beg that you 
will summon your whole fortitude, and pass your time as 
agreeably as possible. Nothing will give me so much sin- 
cere satisfaction as to hear of it from your own pen." 

In this letter Washington enclosed his will, which Colo- 
nel Pendleton had drawn up for him by his direction. He 
wrote : " The provision made for you in case of my death 
will, I hope, be agreeable." 



CHAPTER IV. 

The tenor of Mrs. Washington's life was now entirely 
changed. The genial society in which she had so long 
moved as one of its most cherished members and brightest 
ornaments was broken into fragments by conflicting opin- 
ions concerning public affairs. The Fairfaxes adhered to 
the crown, and many others of her friends and relatives be- 
came alienated. She was burdened with cares and anxie- 
ties she had never felt before, but her heart and faith were 
strengthened sufficiently for the occasion, and her cheerful 
spirit never forsook her. Her husband had left the man- 
agement of his farms in the hands of his competent kins- 
man, Lund Washington, who, with his wife, resided at Mount 
Vernon during the whole period of the long war that ensued. 
And Mrs. Washington was comforted by that assuring ex- 
pression in her husband's letter — " not doubting I shall re- 
turn safe to you in the fall." 

Alas ! the hope which these words inspired was long de- 
ferred. The fall came and winter approached, and the 
period of Washington's return to his home appeared more 
remote than ever. There was a strong British force in 
Boston, under Gen. William Howe, while a stronger patri- 
otic force, which partially circumvallated the town, kept 
them close prisoners there. 

In October a committee of Congress visited Washington. 
Arrangements were made for a new organization of the 



WASHINGTON AT CAMBRIDGE. 



135 



army, and a siege of Boston was determined upon. It was 
resolved to capture the British army or drive it into the sea. 
For this purpose an irregular line of fortifications to com- 
mand the whole Peninsula was speedily constructed, and 
strong gunboats were placed in the Charles River. 






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WASHINGTON'S HEAD-QUARTERS AT CAMBRIDGE. 

Perceiving no prospect of returning to Mount Vernon for 
many months, Washington invited his family to join him at 
Cambridge. When his express with this invitation reached 
Mrs. Washington, she was at Williamsburg. She immediate- 
ly returned to Mount Vernon, and prepared for the journey 
to Boston. 

Washington was occupying a l^ne mansion at Cambridge, 
built nearly twenty years before, as his head-quarters. This 



136 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

house was the property and dwelling-place of the late Mr. 
Longfellow, the poet, for many years before his death. It 
is in a state of perfect preservation in outward and interior 
aspects, as in 1775. Then, as now, it was a little back from 
the street, with a gentle slope in front. At each front cor- 
ner of the house is now a lofty and venerable elm. These 
were saplings when Washington dwelt there. 

There had been some alarm felt at Mount Vernon in Oo 
tober, a little while before Mrs. Washington received her in- 
vitation to Cambridge. Lord Dunmore, the fugitive royal 
governor of Virginia, had begun marauding expeditions on 
the shores of the waters of Lower Virginia, and had spread 
alarm along Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac and Rappa- 
hannock rivers. It is believed he intended to ascend the 
Potomac, devastate the estate at Mount Vernon, and seiz- 
ing Mrs. Washington, hold her as a hostage. Virginia mili- 
tia soon checked the career of the marauder, and the alarm 
subsided. Lund Washington had written to the general : 

'' Many people have made a stir about Mrs. Washington's 
continuing at Mount Vernon, but I cannot think there is 
any danger. The thought, I believe, originated in Alexan- 
dria ; from thence it got to Loudoun, and I am told the peo- 
ple of Loudoun talk of sending a guard to conduct her up to 
Berkeley, with some of the principal men to persuade her 
to leave this place and accept their offer. 'Mr. John Au- 
gustine Washington [the general's brother] wrote, pressing 
her to leave Mount Vernon. She does not believe herself 
in danger. Lord Dunmore will hardly himself venture up 
this river, nor do I believe he will send on that errand. 
Surely her old acquaintance, the attorney, who, with his 
family, is on board his ship, would prevent his doing an act 



HER FORTITUDE AND COURAGE. 137 

of that kind. You may depend I will be watchful, and 
upon the least alarm persuade her to remove." 

Immediately after this letter was written the danger ap- 
peared more menacing. Still Mrs. Washington courageous- 
ly refused to leave her home, until she received a message 
at dawn one morning from her good neighbor and friend, 
George Mason, apprising her of apparently near danger, 
and advising her to retire to the country, away from the 
river. She did so, but went only a few miles, and returned 
in less than forty-eight hours. Concerning this event Ma- 
son wrote to Washington : 

" Dunmore has come and gone, and left us untouched ex- 
cept by some alarm. I sent my family many miles back in 
the country, and advised Mrs. Washington to do likewise, as 
a prudential movement. At first she said ' No ; 1 will not 
desert my post ;' but she finally did so with reluctance, rode 
only a few miles, and, plucky little woman as she is, stayed 
away only one night." 

It was towards the middle of November when Mrs. Wash- 
ington, accompanied by her son, John Parke Custis, his 
charming young wife, and a maid- servant, set out from 
Mount Vernon for Cambridge, in a chariot drawn by four 
spirited horses, and with an expert postilion and a driver. 
Washington had made all possible provision for their guid- 
ance and entertainment on the way, for they were ignorant 
of the roads and were strangers everywhere. 

Washington's military secretary, Joseph Reed, was then 
at his home in Philadelphia attending to private business, 
and had prepared to entertain Mrs. Washington and her 
companions at his home during their sojourn for rest in that 
city. When, on the 21st of November, they appi-oached the 



138 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Schuylkill, Mr. Reed and some military officers met them 
at the ferry, and they were escorted into the city by two bat- 
talions, one of infantry and the other of light-horse. The 
wearied travellers were most cordially welcomed by the del- 
icate young wife of Mr. Reed, a daughter of a London mer- 
chant (Denis de Berdt) of Huguenot descent. 

The advent of Mrs. Washington into Philadelphia was the 
occasion of much public commotion there for a few days. 
Society in that city was divided by antagonistic political 
sentiments. The Tories, or adherents of the Crown, were 
about as numerous as the Whigs, or supporters of the meas- 
ures of the Continental Congress then in session there. In 
consequence of this state of feeling, very few ladies ventured 
to call on Mrs. Washington. 

The Whigs, under the shadow of the wings of the Con- 
gress, prepared to honor the wife of the commander-in-chief 
of the Continental armies by some public token of respect. 
It was resolved to give a ball at the " New Tavern," on Fri- 
day evening, November 24th, to which she should be invited. 
The more puritanic members of Congress from New Eng- 
land thought such a performance would be unseemly at that 
perilous juncture in public affairs, while Tories plainly inti- 
mated that such an assembly would be disturbed. Christo- 
pher Marshall, an old and retired druggist of Philadelphia, 
a Quaker by birthright* and an ardent Whig, intimately ac- 
quainted with most of the members of Congress, and who 
was a participant in the affair, gave the following account of 
it in his diary for November 24th, 25th, and 27th: 

* Mr. Marshall's zealous support of the Whig cause and the measures 
of Congress, civil and military, caused his expulsion from the Society of 
Friends, or Quakers. 



AT PHILADELPHIA. 



139 



'^ Nove7nber 2\th. — After dinner, as I heard some hints 
thrown out that if the ball assembled this night, as it was 
proposed, they presumed that the New Tavern would cut 
but a poor figure to-morrow morning, their fears that some 
commotion's being made that would be very disagreeable at 
this melancholy time in disturbing the peace of the city, I 
concluded, if possible, to prevent, in order to which I went 
to Colonel Hancock's* lodgings, and finding he was not 
come from Congress, and the time grew short, being three 
o'clock, I walked up to the State House, in expectation of 
meeting him. That failing, I requested the door-keeper to 
call Samuel Adams, which he accordingly did, and he came. 
I then informed him of the account received of a ball that 
was to be held this evening, and where, and that Mrs. Wash- 
ington and Colonel Hancock's wife were to be present, and 
as such meetings appeared to be contrary to the Eighth Re- 
solve of Congress, I therefore requested he would give my 
respects to Colonel Hancock, desire him to wait on Lady 
Washington,! and request her not to attend or go this even- 
ing. This he promised. Thence I went and met the Com- 
mittee at Philosophical Hall, which was large and respecta- 
ble, being called together for this only purpose to consider 
the propriety of this meeting or ball's being held this even- 
ing in this city, at the New Tavern, where, after due and ma- 
ture consideration, it was there concluded, there being but 
one dissenting Voice (Sharp Delany), that there should be 

* John Hancock, of Boston, who was then the President of Congress. 

\ This, I beheve, is the first recorded instance of Mrs. Washington 
having been called " Lady Washington." This was her popular title in 
the army and in society during the war, and while her husband was 
President of the United States. 



140 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

no such meeting held, not only this evening-, but in future, 
while these troublesome times continued. A committee was 
appointed, immediately to go to inform the directors of this 
meeting not to proceed any further in this affair, and also 
to wait upon Lady Washington, expressing this Committee's 
regard and affection for her, requesting her to accept of their 
grateful acknowledgement and respect due to her on account 
of her near connexion with our worthy and brave general, 
now exposed in the field of battle in defence of our rights 
and liberties, and request and desire her not to grace that 
company, to which, we are informed, she has an invitation 
this evening, &c., &c. Came home near six. After I drank 
coffee, I went down to Samuel Adams' Lodgings where was 
Colonel [Eliphalet] Dyer. Spent some time pleasantly, un- 
til Colonel Harrison came to rebuke Samuel Adams for 
using his influence for the stopping of this entertainment, 
which he declared was legal, just and laudable. Many ar- 
guments were used by all present to convince him of the im- 
propriety at this time, but all to no effect; so, as he came 
out of humor, he so returned, to appearance.* 

-' Novetnbcr 25///. — At 'half-past eleven went to the Com- 
mittee room at the Coffee House ; came away near two. 
At this time INLiyor Bayard, one of the four gentlemen ap- 
pointed to wait on Lady Washington, reported that they 
had, agreeably to directions, that the lady received them 
with great politeness, thanked the committee for their kind 

* Colonel Benjamin Harrison was then a representative of Virginia 
in Congress and a very ardent Whig. He was an active and efiicient 
statesman of that period and later, and a personal friend of General and 
Mrs. Washington. He was the father of William Henry Harrison, Pres- 
ident of the United States in 1S41. 



AVOIDS NEW YORK. I4I 

care and regard in giving such timely notice, requesting 
her best compliments to be returned to them for their care 
and regard, and to assure them that their sentiments on this 
occasion were perfectly agreeable unto her own." 

Political antagonisms and excitement were far more bit- 
ter in New York than in Philadelphia at that time. The 
" Sons of Liberty" there were active and aggressive, and the 
hostility of the Loyalists to them was exceedingly violent. 
It was while Mrs. Washington was in Philadelphia that Isaac 
Sears (" King Sears " as he was called), the chief leader of 
the active Whigs in New York, entered the city at noonday 
from the east, at the head of seventy-five light-horsemen, 
and destroyed the printing establishment of Rivington, 
the "King's printer." During the autumn of 1775 it was 
doubtful which party would gain the ascendency in that city. 

Washington, apprised of this state of affairs at New York, 
had admonished his wife to avoid that city by all means, 
and had requested Mr. Reed to give the travellers directions 
where to cross the Hudson River, some distance from the 
disturbed town.* This was done, and at ten o'clock on 

* On llic morning when Mrs. Washington left Philadelphia, Mr. 
Reed received a letter from her husband, in which he said, " I thank 
you for your frequent mention of Mrs. Washington. I expect she will 
be in Philadelphia about the time this letter may reach you, on her way 
hither. As she and her conductor (who, I expect, will be Mr. Custis, 
her son) are perfect strangers to the road, the stages, and the proper 
place to cross Hudson's River (by all means avoiding New York), I 
shall be much obliged in your particular instructions and advice to her. 
I do imagine, as the roads are bad and the weather is cold, her stages 
must be short, especially as I expect her horses will be pretty much fa- 
tigued, as they will, by the time she gets to Philadelphia, have performed 
a journey of at least four hundred and fifty miles, my express finding her 



142 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Monday, the 27th of November, they left Philadelphia, ac- 
companied as far as Frankford, five miles from the city, by 
the troop of horse and two companies of light infantry. 
The travellers lodged at Bristol that night, crossed the Del- 
aware River, passed through New Jersey and Rockland 
County, N. Y., to the King's Ferry on the Hudson, nearly 
forty miles above New York City, and crossing there went 
on by easy stages, and arrived at Cambridge on the nth of 
December. On Christmas-day Washington wrote to Reed 
by express, enclosing several letters : 

" I am so much indebted for civilities shown Mrs. Wash- 
ington on her journey hither, that I hardly know how to go 
about to acknowledge them. Some of the enclosed (all of 
which I beg the favor of you to put into the post-ofifice) are 
directed to that end. I shall be obliged to you for present- 
ing my thanks to the commanding officers of the two bat- 
talions of Philadelphia, for the honor done her and me, as 
also to any others equally entitled. I sincerely offer you 
the compliments of the season, and wish you, Mrs. Reed, 
and your fireside the happy return of a great many of them." 

When the arrival of Mrs. Washington at head-quarters 
became known, the event created astonishment, admiration, 
and joyfulness, not only among the officers in camp, a few 
of whom had their wives with them, but among the citizens 
of Cambridge. She was regarded as a heroine, a model of 
conjugal affections and loyalty, in thus encountering the 
fatigues and perils of travel for hundreds of miles at an in- 
clement season of the year, and in accepting the dangers 

among her friends near Williamsburg, one hundred and fifty miles be- 
low my own home." 



ARMIES AT CAMBRIDGE, I43 

and vicissitudes of camp life before a beleaguered city filled 
with veteran British troops. 

Mrs. Washington's advent was unheralded, for it was not 
known even to her husband on what day she would arrive, 
and no hint had been given to any one excepting Robert 
H. Harrison, the general's secretary, that she was expected. 
A letter to one of the officers from a friend in Philadelphia, 
giving him an account of her reception at and departure 
from that city, had been received on the day before her ar- 
rival. 

Washington had sent a single member of his staff and an 
orderly out on the road he knew she would be travelling, a 
few miles from Cambridge, to guide her to head-quarters. 
This aide-de-camp had waited at a country inn several days. 
So unostentatious was her advent, attended only by this aide 
and the orderly riding some distance ahead of her equipage, 
that no one suspected the modest carriage with jaded 
horses bore the wife of the commander-in-chief, until she 
alighted with her companions at head-quarters, at near 
sunset on a cold, gray, December day. When she had re- 
covered from the fatigue of travel, she received ceremonial 
visits from the wives of officers in camp and the ladies in 
the neighborhood, who cordially welcomed her among them, 
and were charmed with her matronly beauty (she was then 
forty-three years old), grace, and suavity of demeanor, and 
her perfect simplicity and frankness of manner. 

A general gloom overspread the camp at the time of Mrs. 
Washington's arrival, for the terms of the enlistments of 
many of the soldiers would soon expire, and there appeared 
very little disposition on their part to re-enlist. December 
was passing away, and yet not more than five thousand new 



144 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

recruits had joined the army. General Howe had strength- 
ened his defences preparatory to establishing his winter 
quarters in Boston while waiting for reinforcements from 
home in the spring. 

Washington had been authorized by Congress to attack 
the British in Boston whenever he should deem it expedi- 
ent, " notwithstanding the town and property be destroyed ;" 
and the patriotic president of Congress, John Hancock, 
whose home was in that city, had written to him : " May 
God crown your attempt with success, though individually I 
may be the greatest sufferer." 

Men and means had been wanting to promise success to 
such an attempt. But a brighter prospect soon appeared. 
It was noticed as a coincidence that with the advent of Mrs. 
Washington into camp a change had taken place in the 
sentiments of the troops and people. Many of the former 
re-enlisted, while a stirring appeal made by the commander- 
in-chief to the militia of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 
to supply the places of the troops which had left the army 
in its hour of peril, was nobly responded to. The regi- 
ments were speedily filled, and before Christmas fully ten 
thousand minute-men, chiefly in Massachusetts, were held 
in ready reserve to march whenever called upon. The 
camp was well supplied with provisions, and order was 
more generally observed. 

With Mrs. Washington as a central figure among the 
wives of officers in camp and ladies of leading families in 
the vicinity, together with the general hopefulness of the as- 
pect of public affairs at this juncture, social life at Cam- 
bridge was made very pleasant at the Christmas holidays. 
Among the most fascinating of the women in camp was 



MRS. LUCY KNOX. 145 

Mrs. Lucy Knox, the young wife of Col. Henry Knox, and 
daughter of Thomas Flucker, late secretary of the province 
of Massachusetts. She was beautiful in person, brilliant 
in intellect, and the life of any social circle of which she 
formed a part. The duties of her husband, who was after- 
wards the commander of the artillery in the Continental 
Army, kept General Knox near the person of General Wash- 
ington during the long war that ensued. Consequently, at 
every winter encampment, where Mrs. Washington was at 
head-quarters, she and Mrs. Knox were much together, and 
became fast friends.* 

* Henry Knox was a young bookseller in Boston. Lucy Flucker, 
daughter of the secretary of the province, being of a literary turn of 
mind, visited his shop to procure books and stationery. They became 
acquaintances, then friends, and then lovers. They maintained senti- 
ments in common, and in spite of the opposition of friends she married 
the young Whig bookseller, and shared his fortunes during the long war 
which soon followed and for long years afterwards. She was with him 
in camp and on marches, a faitliful wife and loyal companion of his joys 
and sorrows. She was a woman of sound judgment and brilliant intel- 
lect, and graced every exalted position which she was called to fill. 
Their later life was spent in elegant retirement at Thomaston Manor. 
She had rare power of conversation, and was one of the most charming 
and entertaining women of her time. Exceedingly exemplary as a wife 
and mother, she commands admiration. 



CHAPTER V. 

During the winter of 1775-76, Washington prosecuted the 
siege of Boston -with as much vigor as circumstances would 
allow. After the arrival of Colonel Knox from Lake 
Champlain with forty- two sled -loads of captured heavy 
guns, ammunition, and stores,* he resolved to attack the 
British either by assault or by a general bombardment and 
cannonade. The winter was so mild that the ice-bridge 
over the St. Charles would not bear troops before February, 
and a lack of powder was a serious hinderance. " The bay 
is open," wrote Colonel Moylan late in January. " Every- 
thing thaws except old Put. He is still as hard as ever, 
crying out, ' Powder ! powder ! ye gods, give me powder !' " 

The British, in daily expectation of receiving reinforce- 
ments from Ireland and Halifax, were quite contented with 
a dream of security. The officers established a theatre, 

* On the loth of May, 1775, some Vermont and Connecticut militia, 
led by Col. Ethan Allen, of Vermont, surprised and captured the British 
stronghold of Ticonderoga, on Lake Champlain. Two days afterwards 
some Vermonters, or " Green Mountain Boys," seized the stronger fort of 
Crown Point, a few miles farther down the lake. The spoils obtained at 
these forts consisted of about one hundred and fifty cannons and a large 
quantity of ammunition and stores. Late in the year Colonel Knox was 
sent, with sleds drawn by oxen, to fetch the spoils to Cambridge, and 
succeeded. These supplies were timely for the successful prosecution 
of the siege of Boston. 



SIEGE OF BOSTON. 147 

and got up a farce called " Boston Blockaded," in which 
Washington was lampooned unmercifully. Balls were held, 
and they were preparing for a grand masquerade when 
Washington suddenly dispelled their pleasant dreams of 
conquest and confiscation, and transformed the farce of 
" Boston Blockaded " into a sad tragedy of Boston besieged. 
He had secretly, during a single night, fortified Dorchester 
Heights, which commanded the town, the moon shining 
brightly while the men toiled. When Howe saw this omi- 
nous menace in the morning, he exclaimed in astonishment, 
" I know not what to do. The rebels have done more in 
one night than my whole army would have done in a 
month." 

The British fleet in Boston Harbor was in equal peril 
from the great guns on Dorchester Heights, while a heavy 
patriot force was preparing at Cambridge to cross the 
Charles River in boats and attack the troops in the city. 

Howe called a council of war, and it was decided to evac- 
uate the city. This decision filled the inhabitants of Boston 
with consternation. The Tories dreaded the retribution 
they deserved and might expect from those whom they had 
cruelly persecuted and driven from their homes ; the few 
Whigs who remained in the city believed the British would 
burn the town on their departure. The Tories saw the arm 
of military power on which they had confidently leaned sud- 
denly wither into helplessness. They demanded protection 
for person and property ; the troops were not able to pro- 
tect themselves. Three thousand loyalists begged to be 
carried away, with their effects, from the wrath that men- 
aced them. The number of transports was inadequate to 
perform this service. The Tories would be lucky if they 



148 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

could sail away with their families, and with such property 
as they might carry on their persons. 

Howe proposed to evacuate Boston quietly, if his forces 
should not be molested in the operation. Washington ac- 
ceded to the proposition. The city now became a scene of 
wild confusion. The loyalists hurried their most valuable 
possessions on shipboard. What they could not take with 
them they burned. The British soldiery were permitted to 
break open and plunder houses and stores, and what they 
could not carry away they destroyed. Strange to say, the 
house, furniture, and family pictures of John Hancock were 
uninjured. 

It was on Sunday, the 17th of March, that the motley host 
of soldiers and civilians crowded on board the British ves- 
sels, and all sailed away before night. Washington had lit- 
erally driven the enemy into the sea. On the 20th the main 
body of the American army, with Washington at its head, 
marched in triumph into the deserted town. Leaving a suf- 
ficient garrison under Putnam for the defence of Boston, he 
sent the remainder of the army to New York, whither he 
supposed Howe had sailed. He was mistaken. Howe 
went to Halifax, and there left the first colony of refugee 
American loyalists who settled in Nova Scotia. Washing- 
ton himself departed for New York on the 4th of April. 

Alarming rumors had reached Washington during the 
winter, of preparations by Lord Dunmore, the fugitive gov- 
ernor of Virginia, to ascend Chesapeake Bay and its navi- 
gable tributaries, and lay waste the country along their bor- 
ders. The largest ships could ascend the Potomac to Al- 
exandria, nine miles above Mount Vernon ; and so alarmed 
bad the people been in all that region, after Dunmore had 



MOUNT VERNON MENACED. 



149 



burned Norfolk, at the beginning of the year,* that many 
of the inhabitants retired to the interior, taking with them 
their movable property. 

Such assurances had come from Mount Vernon that 
every precaution would be taken to secure the property 
there,t that Mrs. Washington and her family remained at 
Cambridge a month after the evacuation, waiting for the 
roads to become passable. She had spent the winter as 
agreeably as possible under the circumstances, having had 
pleasant social intercourse with the families of the faculty 
of Harvard College and others, and with the wives of the 



* The royal governor, Lord Dunmore, having been driven from his 
capital by the patriots, proceeded to acts of vengeance, laying waste the 
property of the inhabitants along the shores of Lower Virginia by fire 
and plunder. On the . 1st of January, 1776, he caused the bombard- 
ment of Norfolk by some ships of war, and the laying of the town in 
ashes by a conflagration which raged three days. 

f Lund Washington wrote from Mount Vernon : " Alexandria is much 
alarmed, and indeed the whole neighborhood. The women and chil- 
dren are leaving the town and stowing themselves in every hut they can 
find, out of reach of the enemy's cannon. Every wagon, cart, and pack- 
horse that can be got is employed. The militia are all up, but not in 
arms, for indeed they have none, or at least very few. I could wish, if 
we are to have our neighborhood invaded, that they would send a tender 
or two among us, that we might see how the people would behave on 
the occasion. They say they are determined to fight. I am about 
packing up your china and glass in barrels, and other things into chests, 
trunks, and bundles, and I shall be able at the shortest notice to remove 
them out of the way. I fear the destruction will be great, although the 
best care has been taken. Everybody I see tells me, that if the people 
could have notice they would immediately come and defend your prop- 
erty so long as they have life, from Loudoun, Prince William, Eauquier, 
and this county." 



150 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

officers in camp. After the evacuation, ladies from a dis- 
tance called upon her. Among the latter was Mrs. Mercy 
Warren, afterwards the historian of the Revolution, She 
was the brilliant sister of James Otis, the eminent orator. 
In a letter which Mrs. Warren wrote to the wife of John 
Adams, from Watertown, on the 17th of April, she gave the 
following account of her visit to Mrs. Washington : 

" I arrived at my lodgings before dinner, the day I left 
you, — found an obliging family — and in the main an agree- 
able set of lodgers. The next morning I took a ride to 
Cambridge, and waited on Mrs. Washington, at eleven 
o'clock, where I was received with that politeness and re- 
spect shown in a first interview among the well-bred, and 
with the ease and cordiality of friendship of a much earlier 
date. 

" If you wish to hear more of this lady's character, I will 
tell you I think the complacency of her manners speaks at 
once the benevolence of her heart, and her affability, can- 
dor, and gentleness qualify her to soften the hours of pri- 
vate life, or to sweeten the cares of the Hero, and smooth 
the rugged cares of War. I did not dine with her, though 
much urged. She desired me to name an early hour in the 
morning, when she would send her chariot and accompany 
me to see the deserted lines of the enemy, and the ruins of 
Charlestown. A melancholy sight ! 

" Mr. Custis is the only son of the lady above described 
— a sensible, modest, agreeable young man.* His lady, a 

* Young Custis was attached to the military family of Washington 
while in Cambridge, and was sometimes employed in carrying messages, 
by a flag, between the belligerent commanders. In this service he be- 
came acquainted with a young British othcer who, like others, had come 



MRS. MERCY WARREN. 15 I 

daughter of Colonel Calvert, of Maryland, appears to be of 
an engaging disposition, but of so extremely delicate a con- 
stitution that it deprives her, as well as her friends, of part 
of the pleasure which I am sure would result from her con- 
versation did she enjoy a more perfect share of health. 
She is pretty, genteel, easy and agreeable, but a kind of 
languor about her prevents her being sociable as some 
ladies. Yet it is evident it is not owing to a want of that 
vivacity which renders youth agreeable, but to a want of 
health which a little clouds her spirits." * 

At this interview, which was mutually agreeable, a friend- 
ship was begun between Mrs. Washington and Mrs. Warren 
which continued through life. Mrs. Warren always regarded 
the mistress of Mount Vernon as one of her most cherished 
correspondents. On her urgent invitation, Mrs. Washington 
visited her and dined with her on the day before she left 
Cambridge for New York. They never met again until 
late in 1790, when Mrs. Warren visited her distinguished 
friend at the presidential mansion in New York City. 

Just before Washington left head-quarters, " Lady Wash- 
ington," as she was universally known in the army, received 

to America with an impression that the " rebellion " would be crushed 
out in the space of a few weeks, and was prepared to settle in the 
country on the confiscated lands of the rebels. This young officer had 
brought with him a twig from the weeping-willow near Pope's villa at 
Twickenham, carefully preserved in a case of oiled silk. Relinquishing 
the idea of settling in America and planting this willow on his estate, he 
gave the twig to Custis, who, on his return to Abingdon in the spring, 
planted it near his house. It grew and flourished, and from it are de- 
scended the weeping-willows in the United States. 

* Mrs. Ellet's " Women of the Revolution," vol. iii., p. 387. 



152 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON, 

with her usual suavity and politeness, a young woman whose 
birth was in pagan Africa, and her social condition was that 
of a slave. Her name was Phillis. She was the " proper- 
ty " of John Wheatley, a Whig of Boston who had been 
permitted to leave the town. Phillis had been brought from 
Africa when she was between seven and eight years of age. 
She had acquired knowledge as if by intuition, and a vol- 
ume of her poems was published when she was nineteen 
years old. She had attracted the attention of Washington 
by a poetic eulogium of him which she had written. At 
the request of Mrs. Washington, the general invited Phillis 
to head-quarters. Her conversation, in manner and sub- 
stance, greatly pleased the general and his wife, and when 
Phillis departed she received a pleasant memento from Mrs. 
Washington. Phillis corresponded with the Countess of 
Huntington, Lord Dartmouth, and other eminent persons 
in England.* 

On the 20th of April Mrs. Washington and her compan- 

* After the death of her master, in 1776, Phillis married a man who 
was much her inferior. She died in Boston in extreme poverty in 1784, 
at the age of nearly thirty-one years. The following lines, taken from 
her poem on " Imagination," will give a fair idea of her genius : 

" Though Winter frowns, to fancy's raptured eyes 
The fields may flourish and gay scenes arise ; 
The frozen deeps may break their iron bands. 
And bid their waters murmur o'er their sands; 
F"air Flora may resume her fragrant reign. 
And with her flow'ry riches deck the plain; 
Sylvanus may diffuse his honors round. 
And all the forests may with leaves be crown'd; 
Showers may descend, and dews their gems disclose, 
And nectar sparkle on the blooming rose." 



IN NEW YORK. 



153 



ions, Mr. and Mrs. Custis, left head-quarters, in their chariot, 
with a military escort, for New York, travelling by easy 
stages by way of Hartford and New Haven. Washington 
then occupied as head-quarters a spacious brick mansion, 
three stories in height, on Pearl Street, opposite the lower 
end of Cedar Street, and there Mrs. Washington remained 
with her husband until his departure for Philadelphia late 
in May, in obedience to a summons from the Continental 
Congress to confer with that body. 



V 







r?^M-' 






HEAD-QUARTEKS AT NEW YORK, 

At the time of Mrs. Washington's arrival the city was fill- 
ed with alarming intelligence of the fearful ravages of the 
small-pox among the Continental soldiers then in Canada, 
and, as convalescents were continually arriving from the 
New York City companies in the Northern army, fears were 
entertained that they might bring the contagious and much 
dreaded disease with them. There was a general desire 



154 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

among the citizens to be inoculated with the small-pox (vac- 
cination was then unknown), in order to disarm it of its ter- 
rors. In this desire Mrs. Washington participated. Her 
husband wrote to his brother, on the 29th of April, " Mrs. 
Washington is still here, and talks of taking the small- 
pox, but 1 doubt her resolulion." 

The general was mistaken. Her resolution was equal to 
her desires, and her common-sense, as usual, prevailed. She 
was inoculated by Dr. John Morgan, the director-general of 
the military hospital, and proceeded with her husband to 
Philadelphia, where they arrived on the evening of the 23d 
of May. On the 31st Washington wrote to his brother : 

" Mrs. Washington is now under inoculation in this city, 
and will, I expect, have the small-pox favorably. This is 
the 13th day and she has few pustules. She would have 
written to my sister [Mrs. Lewis], but thought it prudent not 
to do so, notwithstanding there could be but little danger of 
conveying the infection in this manner." 

Mr. and Mrs. Custis left New York early in May, and 
went to Mount Airy, in Maryland, the seat of Mrs. Custis's 
family. They tarried there while Mr. Custis was attending 
to the business of receiving his estate from his guardian, 
George Mason, of Gunston Hall, and Lund Washington act- 
ed for the latter in his absence. Then Mr. and Mrs. Custis 
took up their abode at their pleasant home at Abingdon, 
where, in August following, their first child, Elizabeth Parke 
Custis, was born. 

During the long war that ensued, this amiable young cou- 
ple spent most of their time at INIount Vernon, and with their 
growing family were a constant solace to the half-widowed 
Mrs. Washington when she was not in camp with her hus- 



IN I'HILADELPHIA. ^55 

band This companionship for his wife had been solicited 
by Washington. , A few days after his appointment to the 
command of the army he had written to Custis : 

" M any time, I hope it is unnecessary for me to say that 
I am always pleased with your and Nelly's abidance at 
Mount Vernon, much less upon this occasion, when I thmk 
it absolutely necessary for the peace and satisfaction of your 
mother ; a consideration which I have no doubt will have 
due weight with you both, and requires no argument to en- 

force." * 

When, early in June, Washington returned to New York, 
he left his wife in Philadelphia, delaying her journey to 
Mount Vernon because there were rumored menaces of 
danger there. That whole region was thus again disturbed 
and alarmed by the hostile operations of Lord Dunmore, 
with some war-vessels and a band of motley followers, black 
and white, about five hundred in number. With these the 
fugitive governor secured Gwyn's Island, in Chesapeake 
Bay in June, and established a fortified camp there, intend- 
ing to make it a place of rendezvous during his plundering 
raids on the borders of that bay and its navigable tributa- 
ries in Lower Virginia. He made the armed vessel Duu- 
more his head-quarters. _ . 

Gen. Andrew Lewis, in command of a brigade of Virginia 



» Washington was ever mindful of others. When he sent for Mrs. 
Washincrton to come to Cambridge, his agent, Lund Washington, was 
enjoined to continue the good work of charity at Mount Vernon m the 
absence of the mistress. " Let the hospitality of the house, with respec 
to the poor, be kept up." he wrote. " Let no one go away hungry. If 
any of this kind of people should be in want of corn, supply their neces- 
sities, provided it does not encourage them in idleness." 



156 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

militia, hastened to the shore opposite the island with heavy 
guns, to dislodge the marauders. Early in July he opened 
two batteries on them. One of his balls passed through the 
Dtpiffiorc, another ball cut her boatswain in two, and a 
third ball shivered one of her timbers, a splinter from which 
wounded the ex-governor, smashed his china, and greatly 
frightened him. He resolved to leave the island, and early 
the next morning the surviving marauders on the land fled 
to the vessels. Several of the latter were aground. These 
Dunmore caused to be burned, and sailing out of the bay 
with the remainder of his vessels, he entered the Potomac 
River, determined to ravage the fine plantations on its bor- 
ders, especially that of Mount Vernon;- also to seize Mrs. 
Washington. He desolated several farms near Aquia Creek, 
and penetrated to Occaquan Falls, a short distance below 
Mount Vernon, where he destroyed extensive flouring-mills. 

The Prince William militia gathered and drove the ma- 
rauders to their vessels. At the same time they were as- 
sailed by a furious tempest of lightning, wind, rain, and hail. 
Believing the militia were gathering below to intercept him, 
Dunmore fled down the river and never entered it again. 
He sent vessels to the West Indies with his plunder, and 
sold it there. Among his booty thus disposed of were about 
a thousand negro slaves. The valuable property at Mount 
Vernon which Lund Washington had packed was left un- 
disturbed until Mrs. Washington's return late in August. 
It was kept in readiness for any future emergency. 

During this excitement at home, Mrs. Washington was in- 
formed of the, peril which had threatened her husband in 
New York, from a most foul conspiracy against his life 
which had been concocted by ex-Governor Tryon, then on a 



A CONSPIRACY. 157 

vessel of war in the harbor, and the mayor of the city. On 
his return from Philadelphia, Washington had made his 
head-quarters at Richmond Hill, a cool, suburban retreat 
overlooking the Hudson River and portions of New Jersey 
beyond. There Washington and his staff were quartered, 
and a portion of the American army was encamped near. 

At this time (June, 1776) a British fleet was hourly ex- 
pected to arrive at New York, bearing troops under General 
Howe. A plot was formed for causing an uprising of the 
Tories in New York and the valley of the Lower Hudson, 
at that moment, to cut off all communication with the main- 
land, to murder Washington and his staff, and other leading 
officers, or to seize them and send them to England to be 
tried on a charge of treason, and to make prisoners of a 
greater portion of the American troops on Manhattan Isl- 
and. A large number of persons were engaged in the 
plot, and tempting rewards were offered to those who should 
join the "King's troops" on their arrival. 

From his safe retreat on a war-ship in the harbor, Tryon 
sent large sums of money to corrupt members of Wa#)ing- 
ton's Lifeguard and others.* Two of them were seduced 
from their fidelity. To one of them, an Irishman named 
Hickey, was intrusted the task of murdering Washington. 
He tried to make the general's house -keeper, a faithful 
maiden, his accomplice in the deed. She pretended to fa- 
vor his plan. It was arranged for her to put poison, which 

* Washington's Lifeguard embraced in numbers a major's com- 
mand. The body was composed of picked men, selected because of 
their physical and moral excellence. They were always encamped near 
head-quarters, and were regarded as the special protectors of the person 
and papers of the commander-in-chief. 



158 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

he should prepare, into a dish of green pease designed for 
Washington's table. Hickey saw her put the poison in the 
dish, and at an open door watched the maiden as she set 
the dish before his commander. With alarm he saw the 
general refuse to partake of what he always loved so well. 
The maiden had revealed to him the presence of death in 
the dish. Hickey was instantly seized, tried, condemned, 
and hanged in the presence of twenty thousand people. It 
was the first military execution in the Continental Army. 
The mayor and more than twenty other persons were ar- 
rested by order of the New York Provincial Congress, but 
all escaped punishment. The plot was traced directly to 
Tryon. 

Ten days after the execution of Hickey, General Howe 
arrived, and landed nine thousand troops on Staten Island, 
at the entrance to New York Harbor, and soon afterwards 
the great armed struggle of the British-American colonists 
for political independence was begun with vigor and enthu- 
siasm. From the moment when Mrs. Washington parted 
with her husband at Philadelphia, at near the middle of 
June, 1776, she did not see his face again until the begin- 
ning of the winter of 1777-78 — a period of over seventeen 
months.* 

* On the 20th of August, 1776, Mrs. Washington, then at Philadel- 
phia, wrote to her sister, Mrs. Basselt, at Eltham, Va. : 

" I am still in this town and no prospect, at present, of leaving it. 
The General is at New York ; he is well and wrote me yesterday, and 
informed me that Lord Dunmore, with part of his fleet, was come to 
General Howe, at Staten Island; that another division of Hessians is 
expected before they think the regulars will begin their attack on us. 
Some here, begin to think, there will be no battle after all. Last week 
our boats made another attempt on tlic ships up the North River, and 



EVENTS IN OUR HISTORY. 159 

This was a period of momentous events in the history of 
our republic, in most of which Washington was a conspicu- 
ous actor. The most prominent of these events were the 
declaration of the independence of the colonies by the Con- 
tinental Congress, in July ; the battle of Long Island, in Au- 
gust • the seizure of New York by the British and the battle 
on Harlem Plains, in September ; the battle at White Plains, 
in October ; the capture of Fort Washington by the British, 
in November ; the flight of the American army across New 
Jersey to the Delaware, and the victory of the Americans at 
Trenton, in December, 1776. Also the battle at Princeton, 
in January ; the distressing winter encampment of the Amer- 
ican army at Morristown, in New Jersey ;* marauding expe- 

i^grappled a fire-ship to the PJmuix ten minutes, but she got clear of 
her a'ntal'onist and is come down the river. On Saturday ast our peo- 
pie burn^ one of the tenders. I thank God we shan't want men. I he 
a my at New York is very large, and numbers of men are stdl gomg 
xTere is at this time in this city 4000, on their march to camp, and the 
Virginians are daily expected. 

''I do, my dear Sister, most religiously wish there was an end to the 
War that we might have the pleasure of meeting again My duty to 
ve y dear mama.'and tell her I am very well. I don't hear from you 
lo often as I used to do at Cambridge. I had the pleasure to hear by 
Colonel lylett that you and all friends were well, and should have been 
glad to have h.l a line from you. by him. I hope Mr Bassett has go 
fhe better of his cough, long ago. Please to present l-^ ° /^ -' ^^ 
brothers and sisters, my dear Fanny and the boy, and accept the same 

^^"'^^^ ■ " I am my dear Nancy, 

" Your ever affectionate Sister 

"Martha Washington." 

* At Morristown, Washington made his head-quarters at Freeman's 
tavern, on the north side of the " Green." The accommodations were 
so limited, and the movements of his troops were so uncertain, that he 
thought it not prudent for Mrs. Washington to come to the camp. The 



l6o MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ditions by British parties on the borders of the Hudson 
River and Long Island Sound, in March and April ; the in- 
vasion and capture of Burgoyne in the summer and autumn.; 
the battle on the Brandywine Creek, in September ; and the 
battles of Germantown and Forts Mifflin and Mercer, near 
Philadelphia, in October, 1777. At the beginning of De- 
cember Washington attempted to fix his winter-quarters at 
^^'hitemarsh, in a sheltered valley about fourteen miles from 
Philadelphia. The latter place was then in possession of 
the British under General Howe, and so remained several 
months. 

During all the long period of separation from her husband, 
and her anxiety concerning him who was so continually ex- 
posed to perils, Mrs. Washington remained quietly at Mount 
Vernon, dispensing its hospitalities, and blessed with the 
companionship of her son and his wife. The tempest of 
war in which her husband was involved was raging at a dis- 
tance from her. She could hear the low muttering of the 
remote thunder, but was secure from the fiery bolts and 
fierce wind. Information of public events continually 
reached her by expresses sent by her husband. At length, 
when he thought he was well provided with good winter- 
quarters in a spacious house at Whitemarsh, the general 
sent for his wife to come to him. 



proximity of the American and British forces was fruitful of frequent 
alarms, and at times it was thought the camp would have to be aban- 
doned, but Washington remained there until May. 



CHAPTER VI. 

In a beautiful little valley about fourteen miles from 
Philadelphia, near the village of VVhitemarsh, stood a spa- 
cious stone mansion, sixty feet in length and two stories in 
height, when I visited the spot more than thirty years ago. 
It was then tottering with age and neglect. Its roof had 
begun to fall in, and it is now probably a total ruin. It 
was a sort of baronial hall in character when Elmar, its 
wealthy owner, dispensed generous hospitality to all who 
came into his dwelling at the period of the Revolution. 
Through its centre was a broad passage about fifteen feet 
wide, finely wainscoted, and in all the lower rooms were in- 
dications of former elegance. This mansion Washington 
chose for his winter head-quarters in 1777-78. The Amer- 
ican army was encamped upon the hills north of it, in a 
distressing condition for want of shoes and sufficient winter 
clothing. The right wing of the army rested upon Wissa- 
hickon Creek, and its left upon Sandy Run. 

Washington took possession of this mansion at the be- 
ginning of November. The close proximity of the belliger- 
ent armies caused almost continual hostile movements on a 
small scale, until towards the middle of December, when the 
commander-in-chief thought it prudent to remove his troops 
and his head-quarters to a greater distance from Philadel- 
phia and in a more secure position. Meanwhile he had 

1 1 



1 62 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

sent an aide with an escort of horsemen to conduct Mrs. 
Washington from Mount Vernon to head-quarters. She ar- 
rived at the Ehnar mansion on the very day when, at night, 
the British marched out from Philadelphia to surprise the 
American camp. They were surprised themselves, for they 
found the Americans under arms, and prepared to receive 
them. 

This expedition had been planned by officers in an upper 
room at the house of Lydia Darrah, a patriotic Philadelphia 
Quakeress, at which they were quartered. At midnight she 
overheard one of them read General Howe's order for an 
attack the next night. She did not sleep. Early in the 
morning she took a bag, and on pretence of going to a mill 
in the country for flour, she procured a pass, and hastened 
on foot through the snow to the nearest American outpost, 
and there gave warning of the impending danger. Fore- 
warned, the Americans were prepared for the British, who, 
surprised and alarmed, hastened back to their quarters 
at Philadelphia. Little did they suspect that a woman 
had betrayed them. The officers who devised the expe- 
dition would not believe that their hostess, the sweet-faced 
and gentle -voiced Lydia Darrah, had frustrated their de- 
signs. 

Mrs. Washington was received at head-quarters at noon 
with the heartiest demonstrations of welcome from the offi- 
cers there and from the troops stationed near. It was her 
first meeting with her husband in almost a year and a half. 
She came in a rude sleigh procured of an innkeeper at a 
ford of the Brandywine Creek, where she had been com- 
pelled to abandon her carriage on account of snow-drifts, 
and leave it. The innkeeper sent his son with harnessed 



^^l",illl! 



'« ('.!« fMmti *; 




GOING TO VALLEY FORGE, 165 

horses to bring the sleigh back. Writing to a friend, Mrs. 
Washington said : 

*'I had nothhig but kindness everywhere on my journey. 
The travelling was pretty rough. I found snow in crossing 
Delaware, and at an inn on Brandywine Creek, at a ford, 
where I lodged, the snow was so deep in the roads in some 
places, that I had to leave the chariot with the innkeeper 
and hire a farm sleigh to bring me here. The General is 
well, but much worn with fatigue and anxiety. I never 
knew him to be so anxious as now, for the poor soldiers are 
without sufficient clothing and food, and many of them are 
barefooted. Oh, how my heart pains for them !" 

Only one other officer's wife was at head-quarters when 
Mrs. Washington arrived. She was Lucy Knox, the spouse 
of General Knox. Mrs. Washington had learned at Cam- 
bridge to admire her for her many accomplishments, and to 
love her for her gentleness of spirit. She was at the Elmar 
mansion, and warm was the mutual greeting. But these 
ladies were soon compelled to leave their comfortable 
rooms, for before the middle of December the encampment 
was broken up, and the suffering army began its terrible 
march to Valley Forge, near the Schuylkill River, about 
twenty miles from Philadelphia. Its paths might have been 
traced in the snow by blood from the lacerated feet of bare- 
footed soldiers. 

On that cold, wintry journey of a few miles Mrs. Washing- 
ton rode behind her husband on a pillion. He was on his 
powerful bay charger, and, accompanied by a single aide- 
de-camp, followed the last remnant of the army that left the 
encampment at Whitemarsh. 

On his arrival at Valley Forge, Washington placed his 



i66 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



wife in the small but comfortable house of Isaac Potts, a 
Quaker preacher, situated near the mouth of the Valley 
F'orge Creek, where it enters the Schuylkill River. With 




MRS. Washington's journey to valley forge. 

that good family she spent the winter and spring, and it be- 
came the head-quarters of Washington after his soldiers 
were as comfortably hutted as circumstances would allow. 



VALLEY FORGE. 1 67 

Two days before the encampment at Whitemarsh was brok- 
en up, he had ordered huts to be built, and he had said to 
his soldiers, " I will share in your hardships and partake of 
every inconvenience." In fulfilment of this promise he oc- 
cupied his cheerless marquee for several days and nights, 
until his army was lodged in comparative comfort. 

Comfort ! — a condition scarcely known at Valley Forge 
during that dreary winter. The army numbered at the be- 
ginning of the encampment eleven thousand men, of whom 
twenty-nine hundred were unfit for duty. For about four 
months they had marched and countermarched, and fought 
to baffle the designs of a powerful enemy, who then num- 
bered nineteen thousand, and were in comfortable quarters 
in a city only twenty miles distant. To the dreary hollow 
scooped from the hills the soldiers had come with tattered 
garments and naked and bleeding feet to war with cold, dis- 
ease, and famine, foes more implacable than armed Britons. 
Toryism was rife in the vicinit3%and provisions could not be 
procured without resort to force, which Washington reluc- 
tantly used from time to time. But few horses were in 
camp, because forage was scarce ; and such was the defi- 
ciency in this respect that men in many instances cheerfully 
yoked themselves to rude vehicles of their own construction 
for carrying wood and provisions when procured, while oth- 
ers performed the duty of pack-horses and carried heavy 
burdens of fuel on their backs. On the i6th of February 
Washington wrote to Gov. George Clinton : 

" For some days past there has been little less than a 
famine in the camp. A part of the army has been a week 
without any kind of flesh, and the rest three or four days. 
Naked and starving as they are, we cannot enough admire 



1 68 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery, that 
they have not been, ere this, excited by their sufferings to a 
general mutiny and desertion." 

Dr. Thacher, a surgeon in the army, wrote, "It was with 
great ditBculty that men enough could be found in a condi- 
tion fit to discharge the military camp duties from day to 
day, and for this purpose those who were naked borrowed 
of those who had clothes. . . . When a miserable wretch was 
seen flitting from one hut to another, his nakedness was 
only covered with a dirty blanket." Unprovided with ma- 
terials to raise their beds from the ground, the dampness oc- 
casioned sickness and death. 

The encampment at Valley Forge presents one of the 
most trying scenes in the life of Washington, but, in perfect 
reliance upon Divine aid because he believed the cause he 
had espoused was just and righteous, a cloud of doubt sel- 
dom darkened the atmosphere of his hopes. 

In all the trials of that winter at Valley Forge, Washing- 
ton had the most earnest sympathies, cheerful spirit, and 
willing hands of his loving wife to sustain him and share in 
his cares. An old lady (Mrs. Westlake) eighty-four years 
of age, who lived near Mr. Potts's in 1778, with whom I con- 
versed at Norristown more than thirty years ago, said to 
me, 

'' I never in my life knew a woman so busy from early 
morning until late at night as was Lady Washington, pro- 
viding comforts for the sick soldiers. Every day, excepting 
Sundays, the wives of officers in camp, and sometimes oth- 
er women, were invited to Mr. Potts's to assist her in knit- 
ting socks, patching garments, and making shirts for the 
poor soldiers when materials could be procured. Every 



rift i :f mk 




MRS. WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE. 171 

fair day she might be seen, with basket in hand, and with a 
single attendant, going among the huts seeking the keenest 
and most needy sufferer.s, and giving all the comfort to them 
in her power. I sometimes went with her, for I was a stout 
girl, sixteen years old. On one occasion she went to the 
hut of a dying sergeant, whose young' wife was with him. 
His case seemed to particularly touch the heart of the good 
lady, and after she had given him some wholesome food she 
had prepared with her own hands, she knelt down by his 
straw pallet and prayed earnestly for him and his wife with 
her sweet and solemn voice. I shall never forget the 
scene.''* 

The head-quarters at Valley Forge was very small — con- 
fined to two rooms, one for business and one used as a 
sleeping apartment for the general and his wife. The rest 
of the house was occupied by Mr. Potts and his family. In 
a letter to Mrs. Lund Washington, at Mount Vernon, written 
in March, Mrs. Washington said ; 

" The general's head-quarters have been made more tol- 
erable by the addition of a log-cabin to the house, built to 
dine in. The apartment for business is only about si.xteen 
feet square, and has a large fireplace. The house is built 
of stone. The walls are very thick, and below a deep east 
window, out of which the general can look upon the encamp- 

* Dr. Sparks says (" Writings of Washington," vol. !.), " Mrs. Wash- 
ington Joined her husband at Valley Forge in February." The state- 
ments I have made respecting her arrival at the camp at Whitemarsh 
and her going to Valley Forge and admission into the family of Mr. 
Potts, etc., are given on the verbal authority of George Washington 
Parke Custis, the grandson of Mrs. Washington, of Mrs. Westlake, above 
mentioned, and of Dr. yEneas Munson, of New Haven. 



172 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ment, he had a box made, which appears as a part of the 
casement, with a blind trap-door at top, in which he keeps 
his valuable papers." 

At about the same time, Mrs. Washington wrote to Mercy 
Warren, saying, " It has given me unspeakable pleasure to 
hear that General Burgoyne and his army are in safe quar- 
ters in your State. Would a bountiful Providence aim a 
like stroke at General Howe the measure of my happiness 
would be complete." 

The window depository for Washington's papers at the 
Potts-house was still there when I visited and sketched it 
in 1848. The log-cabin alluded to occupied the place of 
the smaller building adjoining the gable end of the house, 
seen in the sketch, 

Washington's Lifeguard, commanded by Major Gibbs, 
of Rhode Island, was stationed near the river in sight of 
head-quarters, and the various brigades were scattered over 
the adjoining hill-sides under the command of Generals 
Knox, Varnum, Mcintosh, Huntington, Maxwell, Muhlen- 
berg, Weeden, Learned, Patterson, Wayne, Glover, Poor, 
Scott, and Lord Stirling. The wives of several of these of- 
ficers reached camp in February, and helped to dispel some 
of the gloom that grew deeper and deeper over the scene 
until late in March, when warmer weather made soldier life 
there more tolerable. One or more of these ladies was with 
Mrs. Washington every day until early in May, when they 
returned to their homes, as it was expected the campaign 
would open very soon. 

As the spring advanced, the comforts of the soldiers in- 
creased. Their clothing was replenished and their daily 
wants were more bountifully supplied. The shattered regi- 



REJOICINGS AT VALLEY FORGE. 173 

ments were filled. A more hopeful feeling prevailed in 
camp and throughout the country. This feeling was great- 
ly intensified and became real joy among the soldiers, when, 
on the night of the 3d of May, a despatch reached Washing- 
ton from the President of Congress (which was then in ses- 
sion at York, beyond the Susquehanna River), announcing 
the treaty of alh'ance, amity, and commerce between the 
United States and France, perfected on the 6th of February. 
This important news was communicated to the army in 
general orders on the morning of the 6th, and the next day 
was set apart to be devoted to a grateful acknowledgment 
of Divine goodness in raising up a powerful friend " among 
the princes of the earth, to establish liberty and independ- 
ence upon a solid foundation," also to celebrate the great 
event by tokens of delight. 

Washington ordered the several brigades to be assembled 
at nine o'clock on the morning of the 7th, to hear prayers 
and appropriate discourses from their several chaplains. 
The men were to be under arms for inspection and parade 
at a given signal, when they were to be led to a specified 
position to fire a feu de joie with cannons and small-arms. 
At another signal there was to be a discharge- of thirteen 
cannons and a running fire of small-arms, when the whole 
army were to huzza, '■'■Long live the King of France!^' Then 
another discharge of cannons and muskets was to be given, 
followed by a shout of the army, " Long live the friendly 
European powers I ''' Then a third discharge of cannons 
and muskets in like manner, and a shout, " The Afnerican 
States/'' 

The 7th was a beautiful May-day. The troops were in 
motion at an early hour. They had just received their new 



174 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

uniforms preparatory for a summer campaign. Their guns 
were polished and their other accoutrements were in per- 
fect order. The army made a really brilliant appearance, 
and were well disciplined, for they had been several weeks 
drilled and inspected by the Baron von Steuben, a Prussian 
officer of distinction, who had lately joined the Continental 
army. There was joy and peace throughout the whole camp 
when the brigades assembled at their respective head-quar- 
ters to participate in the appointed religious services. 

The commander-in-chief, with Mrs. Washington, his stafif, 
and Generals Knox and Stirling, with their wives and their 
aides-de-camp, walked to the head-quarters of Maxwell's 
New Jersey brigade (not more than half a mile from the 
army head-quarters), where they were received with a silent 
military salute from the soldiery there. They were joined 
by other officers of the army, with their wives. An appro- 
priate discourse was pronounced by the Rev. Mr. Hunter, 
after which all the officers of the army present partook of a 
collation provided by the commander-in-chief, to which two 
or three Whig families in the neighborhood were invited. 
When the commander retired, with Mrs. Washington lean- 
ing upon his arm, and followed by those who accompanied 
them from head-quarters, there was a universal huzzaing — 
" Long live General Washington ! Long live Lady Washing- 
ton!^'' These demonstrations were continued until the gen- 
eral and his wife had proceeded nearly a quarter of a mile, 
and a thousand hats were tossed in the air. Washington 
and his retinue several times returned the huzzas, and the 
ladies waved their handkerchiefs. 

Immediately after these events at Valley Forge Mrs. 
Washington departed for Mount Vernon, where she arrived 



EVACUATION OF PHILADELPHIA. 175 

at about the middle of May. It was supposed when she 
left that a campaign would soon open ; but General Howe's 
army had been much \Veakened by dissipation and deser- 
tion during the eight months' sojourn in Philadelphia. 
Many of the British officers had lived in open defiance of 
the demands of morality, and so conspicuous was their prof- 
ligacy that many Tory families who had welcomed the in- 
vaders had prayed for the departure of such undesirable 
guests. The condition of the army was such that Dr. 
Franklin remarked that " Howe did not take Philadelphia ; 
Philadelphia took Howe." 

On the 24th of May General Sir Henry Clinton super- 
seded General Howe in command, and the latter departed 
for England. On the eve of his departure a brilliant fete^ 
called Alischianza, was given in honor of the brothers Howe 
(the general and admiral), which was invented and chiefly 
managed by Major Andre, who became Clinton's accom- 
plished adjutant-general. 

At the middle of June Sir Henry was informed that a 
powerful French fleet under the Count D'Estaing had 
sailed for America from Toulon, and might enter the Del- 
aware River at any hour. Perceiving his peril, he imme- 
diately prepared to leave Philadelphia with his army and 
hasten to New York. This decision shook the " Quaker 
City " violently with emotions of joy and alarm. The 
Whigs rejoiced because they hoped for deliverance. The 
Tories were in consternation, for, like those of Boston, 
they had been oppressors ; and when, on the morning of 
the 1 8th, the British army passed over the Delaware and 
began its flight across New Jersey, about three thousand 
Tories, many of them tenderly nurtured, accompanied the 



176 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

troops, fleeing from the righteous wrath of those whom they 
had persecuted. 

The American army under Wasliington, at Valley Forge, 
now well equipped and about fifteen thousand strong, fol- 
lowed the flying British troops, and at near Monmouth 
Court-house, in New Jersey, Washington fought Clinton 
on an excessively hot day, the 28th of June. At dusk both 
armies, exhausted by heat and fatigue, lay down on their 
arms, expecting to renew the battle at dawn. At midnight 
Sir Henry's host stole noiselessly away in the darkness 
over the soft sandy roads, unperceived by the Americans, 
and so escaped. Victory had been snatched from Wash- 
ington by the treachery of General Charles Lee. 

At the evacuation of Philadelphia, and on his march 
across New Jersey, Clinton lost fully six hundred men by 
desertion. A large proportion of these had formed tender 
attachments during their eight months' stay in Philadelphia, 
and these made their way back to their sweethearts. 

From the time of the battle at Monmouth Court-house 
until the winter encampment of the army was established at 
Middlebrook, in New Jersey, the troops under the imme- 
diate command of Washington were not engaged in any 
important battle. Mis chief efforts were directed to the 
task of imprisoning the British army on Manhattan Island, 
and he was successful. Stirring military events occurred 
elsewhere. In July Tories and Indians desolated the Wyo- 
ming Valley with. fire and sword. In August there was fight- 
ing in Rhode Island, in which the Americans were worsted, 
because the French fleet and troops failed to co-operate 
with them. The Tories and Indians desolated the Mohawk 
Valley and its neighborhood, and caused it to be named 



THE AMERICAN ARMY, 1 77 

"the dark and bloody ground ;" and late in autumn Sir 
Henry Clinton, having the door of his prison towards the 
sea open, sent some troops to Savannah, in Georgia, who 
captured that city and carried on war in that State. 

Washington did not follow the British army in their flight 
from Monmouth Court-house, but marched his men to tiie 
Hudson River, crossed over at the King's Ferry, near Mav- 
erstraw, into Westchester County, and remained there until 
autumn, when he recrossed the river into New Jersey. 
After forming a cordon of military posts around the British 
in New York, from Long Island Sound to the Delaware 
River, within supporting distance of each other, he estab- 
lished a winter encampment and his head-quarters at or 
near the village of Middlebrook, on the Raritan River, in 
New Jersey, towards the middle of December. There his 
army had rested from the 29th of May until the 2d of July, 
in 1777, while watching the movements of the liritish at 
New York. 

When the year 1778 — the fourth year of the war — drew 
to a close, the British army had accomplished little more in 
the way of conquest than it had at the end of the second 
year, while the Americans had gained strength and confi- 
dence by an acquired knowledge of military tactics, naval 
operations, and the art of civil government. They had also 
secured an alliance with France. But their finances were in 
a wretched condition. They had $100,000,000 of paper- 
money afloat, wln'cii was rapidly depreciating, and the public 
credit was as rapidly sinking. 

12 



CHAPTER VII. 

Washington established his head-quarters at INIiddle- 
brook, in New Jersey, on December ii, 1778, and remained 
there until the 4th of June, 1779. Seven brigades of his 
army were encamped on the gentle slopes between the plain 
and the steep acclivities of the mountain, three-fourths of a 
mile from the village. The soldiers were exposed to life 
under canvas tents until comfortable log -huts were com- 
pleted at the close of January. These were constructed of 
the trees which covered the slopes when the army encamped 
there, and formed a regular and compact village. 

The exact locality of Washington's head-quarters at that 
time cannot now be determined. It was somewhere be- 
tween the main encampment and the artillery camp of Gen- 
eral Knox, near Pluckemin. The letters from head-quarters 
were dated at " INIiddlebrook." When I was at that village 
in 1S48, I visited the venerable Bergen Bragaw, a hale old 
man, eighty- seven years old. He informed me that the 
head-quarters was at the house of Ephraim Berry. It was 
a large wooden dwelling, two stories in height, the upper 
story unfinished. 

Mrs. Washington arrived at head-quarters on a very mild 
winter's day early in February, escorted by ten dragoons. 
When her chariot came to the door. Miss Berry seeing a 
middle-aged woman with a colored maid, the former clad in 
a plain russet gown, a large white handkerchief folded over 



AT MIDDLEBROOK. 



179 



her neck and bosom, and on her head a hood, supposed her 
to be a domestic sent from Mount Vernon. Mrs. JJerry was 
undeceived when Washington hastened to the carriage, as- 
sisted the elderly woman to alight, and received her with 
tokens of pleasure and affection. Desiring to furnish his 
wife with a more comfortable and retired apartment, he at 
once employed two apprentices of a carpenter to fit up a 
room in the upper story of the house. One of these ap- 
prentices, when ninety-two years of age, gave the following 
account of the affair to Mrs. Ellet : 

" Lady Washington arrived before the work was begun. 
She came into the place, a portly-looking, agreeable woman 
of forty-five, and said to us, ' Now, young men, I care for 
nothing but comfort here, and should like you to fit me up 
a closet on one side of the room and some shelves and 
places for hanging clothes on the other.' We went to work 
with all our might. Every morning about eleven o'clock 
Mrs. Washington came up-stairs with a glass of spirits for 
each of us, and after she and the General had dined we 
were called down to eat at their table. We worked very 
hard, nailing smooth boards over the rough and worm eaten 
planks, and stopping the crevices in the walls made by time 
and hard usage. Then we consulted together how we could 
smooth the uneven floor, and take out or cover some of the 
huge black knots. We studied to do something to please 
so pleasant a lady, and to make some return in our humble 
way for the kindness of the General. On the fourth day, 
when Mrs. Washington came up to see how we were getting 
along, we had finished the work, made the shelves, put up 
the pegs in the wall, built the closet, and converted the 
rough garret into a comfortable apartment. As she stood 



iSo MARiiiA, TiiK \\iin-: or Washington. 

lookiiii; roiuul, I saiil, ' Mailain, wo luive ondoavovcd to do 
the best wo could ; 1 hopo wo have suitod you?' She lo- 
pliod, sinilini;, ' I am astonished ! Your work wouUl do 
honor to an old master, and you are mere hiils. 1 am not 
only satisliod but hii;hly <;ratilied willi what you have done 
for mv comfort.' " 

Tlie \vi\es of several o( the t^eneral oiricers and others 
wore in the camp at iMiiKUebrook at the time of Mrs. Wash- 
ington's arrival. They welcomed her with heartfelt afYoc- 
tion anil delight. A ball was given in her honor immeili- 
atoly after her advent.- It was opened by General Washing- 
ton ami the beautiful Mrs. Knox, who danced a minuet, a 
figure then verv fashionable, a slow, graceful d.inee markoil 
by small steps. 

On the iSth o( February the annivers.iry o{ the alliance 
with l''rance (^l'"ebru,\ry dth) w.is celebrated at the artillery 
encampment of (icneral Knox, near I'luckomin, a few miles 
from Middlebrook. The ontertainnKMit on the occasion was 
given by tioneral Knox and the otVicers o( the artillery 
corps. It was attondotl by the commander-in-chief and all 
the principal otVicers of the army there, and by Mrs. Wash- 
ington. Mrs. Cioneral Rnox, Mrs. General Greene, ami ladies 
and gentlemen from a wide circuit arouml the camp. There 
was also a vast concourse of spectators from almost every 
part of New Jersey. 

E.xtensivo preparations had been made for this entertain- 
ment, which had been postponed from the 6th to the iSth 
of the numth on account o\ the absence of Washington at 
rhihulelphia. A ruile " temple, " supported by a colonnade 
one lunulred feet in length, decorated with evergreens and 
thirteen arches, each displaying an appropriate painting, 



TKMPLF. AT I'LUCKEMIN. l8l 

had been Iniilt for the purpose. The celebration was be- 
gun at four o'clock hi the afternoon by a discharge of thir- 
teen cannons. Then the invited guests sat down to a ban- 
quet in the " temple," which was designated at the time " the 
Academy in the Park." In the evening there was a fine 
display of fireworks, under the direction of Col. Ebenezer 
Stevens of the artillery. The "temple" was brilliantly light- 
ed by hundreds of candles, and each arch displayed an illu- 
minated picture. 'J'he centre arch was ornamented with a 
pediment larger than any of the others, and the illuminat- 
ed pictures, rude but effective, painted by Charles Willson 
Peale, were disposed in the following order : 

The first arch on the right represented the commence- 
ment of hostilities at Lexington, and was inscribed, " 'I'he 
scene openetl." The second displayed Pritish clemency, 
represented in the burning of Charlestown, Falmouth, Nor- 
folk, and Kingston. The third, the separation of America 
from Pritain — a magnificent arch broken in the centre, with 
the legend, " Py your tyranny to the people of America you 
have separated the wide arch of an extended empire." The 
fourth, Pritain represented as a decaying empire by a bar- 
ren country, broken arches, fallen spires, ships deserting its 
shores, birds of prey hovering over its mouldering cities, 
and a gloomy setting sun. It bore the inscription — 

" The B.ihylonian spires arc sunk, 

Acli.iia, Rome, and Kyypt nioulileicd down; 

Time slialces the stai)le tyranny of tlirones, 

And totterinf^ empires crush by their own wcit;lit." 

The fifth, America represented as a rising empire — pros- 
pects of a fertile country, harbors and rivers covered with 



lS2 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ships, new canals opening, cities rising amid woods, a splen- 
did rising sun, and the words — 

" New worlds are still emerging from the deep, 
The old descending, in their time to rise." 

The sixth, a grand illuminated representation of Louis XVI., 
"the encourager of letters, the supporter of the rights of 
humanity, the all}- and friend of the American people." 
The seventh (^the centre arch). The Fathers in Congress, 
and the legend. All despcrandimi rcspublicce. The eighth, 
the American philosopher and ambassador (Dr. Franklin) 
extracting lightning from the clouds. The ninth, the battle 
near Saratoga. The tenth, the surrender of Burgoyne. 
The eleventh, a naval fight between the English and French. 
The twelfth, Warren, iNIontgomery, Mercer, and a crowd of 
other American heroes who had fallen, in Elysium, receiv- 
ing the thanks of Brutus, Cato, and other spirits of all ages, 
with the inscription, " Those who shed their blood in such 
a cause shall live and reign forever." The thirteenth rep- 
resented " Peace," her right hand displaying an olive- 
branch ; at her feet lay the fruits of the harvest ; the 
background was filled with fiourishing cities, ports crowded 
with ships, and other emblems of empire and unrestrained 
commerce. 

After the fireworks on this occasion, the memorable en- 
tertainment was concluded by a ball, which was opened by 
Washington, with Mrs. Knox as his partner. 

It was the custom of General Washington during these 
winter encampments, where Mrs. Washington was with him, 
to cultivate a social spirit. To accomplish this he invited 
a certain number of officers every day, excepting Sundays, 



AT DINNER. 183 

to dine at his table ; also the wives of officers who might 
be in camp, and sometimes ladies and gentlemen of the 
neighborhood. The general and Mrs. Washington usually 
sat at one side of the table, while his secretary. Colonel 
Hamilton (while he was in the military family of the com- 
mander-in-chief), performed the civilities on these occasions. 
Dr. Thacher, after dining at the general's table one day, 
made the following record in his journal of his impressions 
of the persons and characteristics of Washington and his 
wife : 

" His tall and noble stature and just proportions, his 
fine, cheerful, open countenance, simple and modest de- 
portment, are all calculated to interest every beholder in his 
favor, and to command veneration and respect. He is 
feared even when silent, and beloved even while we are un- 
conscious of the motive. ... In conversation his Excellency's 
expressive countenance is peculiarly interesting and pleas- 
ing; a placid smile is frequently observed on his lips, but a 
loud laugh, it is said, seldom, if ever, escapes him. He is 
polite and attentive to each individual at table, and retires 
after the compliment of a few glasses." 

" Mrs. Washington," Dr. Thacher writes, " combines in an 
uncommon degree great dignity of manner with the most 
pleasing affability, but possesses no striking marks of beauty. 
I learn from the Virginia officers that Mrs. Washington has 
ever been honored as a lady of distinguished goodness, pos- 
sessing all the virtues which adorn her sex, amiable in her 
temper and deportment, full of benignity, benevolence, and 
charity, seeking for objects of affection and poverty, that 
she may extend to the sufferer the hand of kindness and re- 
lief. These, surely, >are the attributes which reveal a heart 



184 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

replete with those virtues which are so appropriate and es- 
timable in the female character." 

The winter at the time of the encampment at Middle- 
brook was exceedingly mild. There was scarcely a fall of 
snow or a frost after the loth of January. Vegetation in 
New Jersey began to grow in March ; the fruit-trees were in 
bloom on the loth of April, and the roads were as dusty as 
in June. On Valentine's-day (February 14th) the peach-trees 
were in bloom in Virginia. 

On the ist of May the French minister (M. Gerard) and 
a Spanish gentleman arrived at the camp,* The next day 
the whole army were paraded for a grand review. A stage 
was erected in a large field for the accommodation of ladies 
and gentlemen as spectators of the pageant. At a signal 
of thirteen cannons the troops, accompanied by the com- 
mander-in-chief and his distinguished guests, were led to 
the field in grand procession by the fine legion of light- 
horse commanded by Major Henry Lee. There they were 
reviewed by Washington and the foreigners, when the com- 
mander-in-chief and his guests took seats on the stage with 
Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Greene, Mrs. Knox, and a number 
of other ladies who had come to the review in their car- 
riages. The whole army then performed field manoeuvres, 
with firing of cannons and musketry, and passing along the 
front of the stage left the field. 

* Don Juan Miralles, an official agent of the Spanish Government, 
introduced to Washington under false pretences by the Governor of Ha- 
vana. He came to spy out the condition of the public affairs of the 
United States, and to report to the Spanish ministry. Undoubtedly 
the French minister well knew the deception that was being practised, 
for the French Government, from the beginning of the contest, was gov- 
erned in its actions wholly by self-interest. 



A NOTABLE REVIEW. 185 

There was another and a more picturesque review of the 
V troops on the 14th of May, at which Mrs. Washington and 
■^ many other ladies were present. The commander-in-chief 
on his beautiful white horse, followed by Billy, rode in front 
of the lines and received the salute. He was accompanied 
by a group of Indian chiefs from Western Pennsylvania. 
They were dressed and decorated in the most fanciful man- 
ner. Eagle's plumes, bunches of gay feathers, strings of 
bear's claws, and other rude things ornamented their persons. 
From their noses and ears hung large pendants. Some of 
them were half naked, others wore ragged shawls over their 
shoulders which fluttered in the wind. They were mounted 
on miserable horses, most of them without saddles, and 
ropes were used for bridles. They carried guns in all sorts 
of positions. Mrs. Washington wrote to her daughter-in-law 
the next morning: "Yesterday I saw the funniest, at the 
same time the most ridiculous review of the troops I ever 
heard of. Nearly all the troops were drawn up in order, 
and Mrs. Knox, Mrs. Greene, and myself saw the whole 
performance from a carriage. The General and Billy, fol- 
lowed by a lot of mounted savages, rode along the line. 
Some of the Indians were fairly fine-looking, but most of 
them appeared worse than Falstaff's gang. And such horses 
and trappings ! The General says it was done to keep the 
Indians friendly towards us. The appeared like cutthroats, 
all." 

Late in May Mrs. Washington returned to Mount Vernon, 
and on the 4th of June the encampment at Middlebrook 
was broken up and the army was marched to the vicinity of 
the Hudson Highlands, against the defence of which Sir 
Henry Clinton was making demonstrations. The whole 



1 86 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

force was held in Smith's Clove, about fifteen miles from 
West Point. Washington made his head-quarters at the 
latter place from July until December, when with the main 
body of the troops he took post at Morristown, in the hill- 
country of East Jersey, and there he established the winter 
head-quarters. Strong detachments were placed at West 
Point and other posts near the Hudson River, and the cav- 
alry were cantoned in Connecticut. 

The year 1779 had been fruitful of important events in 
the history of the inchoate nation. The finances were in a 
perilous condition. New emissions of the paper currency 
had rapidly depreciated that currency and mjured the pub- 
lic credit. To increase the financial embarrassments, the 
British sent out from New York cart-loads of counterfeit 
Continental bills to be circulated among the people and so 
accelerate the depreciation. " Persons going into other col- 
onies," so ran an advertisement in a New York journal, 
" may be supplied w.ith any number of counterfeited Con- 
gress notes for the price of the paper per ream." 

Military operations had been greatly extended geograph- 
ically. There were stirring scenes on and near the coasts 
of Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia. There was war- 
fare in the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, and Sir Henry 
Clinton sent out fierce and cruel marauding parties to des- 
olate the towns on and near the coasts of Connecticut. 

Meanwhile the troops under Washington had struck some 
telling blows. General Wayne captured a strong post held 
by the British at Stony Point, on the Hudson, in July, and 
in August Major Lee captured the British post at Paulus 
Hook (now Jersey City). General Sullivan severely chas- 
tised the desolators of the Wyoming Valley — the Indians of 



FRENCH ARMY. 187 

Central New York. In the autumn General Lincoln and 
allied French troops besieged Savannah, but the effort fail- 
ed because of the desertion of the Americans by the French 
at a critical moment. 

During the summer Lafayette, who had joined the Conti- 
nental army as a volunteer in 1777, had been in France, 
pleading for the Y\merican cause. Chiefly through his in- 
fluence the French Government had consented to send an- 
other powerful fleet and an army to assist the Americans in 
their struggles. When informed of this intended expedi- 
tion, the British ministry ordered Sir Henry Clinton to cause 
the evacuation of Rhode Island, and to concentrate all his 
troops in the North, at New York. It was to watch these 
and confine them to Manhattan Island that Washington es- 
tablished the head-quarters of the American army at Mor- 
ristown. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Washington made his head-quarters at Morristown at 
the mansion of the widow of Col. Jacob Ford, who com- 
manded a regiment of New Jersey militia during the flight 
of the American army from the Hudson to the Delaware, 
late in 1776. This house, yet standing, was built of brick 
and covered with painted plank. At the time we are con- 
sidering it stood on the Newark and Morristown road, about 
three-fourths of a mile from the Village Green. 

The general and his suite occupied the whole of the 
house excepting two lower rooms, which were reserved for 
Mrs. Ford and her family. On the opposite side of the 
main passage through the house was the general's dining- 
room, and immediately over it was his sleeping-room while 
Mrs. Washington was at head-quarters. He had two log ad- 
ditions made to the house — one for a kitchen, the other for 
offices for himself and Colonels Hamilton and Tilghman. 
The building of these additions was so long delayed in that 
memorable "hard winter" that the commander complain- 
ed to General Greene, the quartermaster -general, saying, 
'" There is not a place in which a servant can lodge with 
the smallest degree of comfort. Eighteen belonging to my 
family and all of Mrs. Ford's are crowded together in her 
kitchen, and scarce one of them able to speak for the colds 
they have caught." 

In the meadow, a few rods south-east of the mansion. 



AT MORRISTOWN. 1 89 

about fifty log-huts were built for the accommodation of 
Washington's Lifeguard, then commanded by Major Gibbs. 
In that meatlow Count Pulaski exercised his legion of cav- 
alry, and performed most extraordinary feats of horseman- 
ship for the amusement and enuilation of other officers. 
Among his surprising feats, he would discharge his pistol 
while his horse was under full speed, throw it in the air, 
catch it by the barrel, and then hurl it in front as if at an 
enemy ; without checking the speed of his horse, he would 
take one foot from the stirrup and, bending towards the 
ground, recover his pistol and wheel into line with as much 
precision as if he had been engaged in nothing but in the 
management of the animal. 

Mrs. Washington arrived at head-quarters at about the 
middle of January. She had tarried a day and a night at 
Union Farm, in New Jersey, with the family of Col. Charles 
Stewart, a personal friend of Washington and a favorite of- 
ficer of his statY. His daughter, Mrs. Martha Wilson, gave 
to a friend an interesting account of this visit at her fathers 
house. She described the distinguished woman as most 
agreeable in conversation, and in her manners " simple, easy, 
and dignified." She came escorted by IMajor Washington 
(the general's nephew) and ten dragoons, who encamped in 
an out-building. 

Mrs. Washington conversed much with Mrs. A\'iIson, then 
a young matron of twenty-two and a widow only a few 
months, concerning house-keeping and her own domestic 
affairs. Among other particulars, Mrs. Washington men- 
tioned that she had a great deal of cloth made in her house 
at Mount Vernon, and kept sixteen spinning-wheels in con- 
stant operation. She showed Mrs. Wilson two dresses of 



190 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

cotton striped with silk, manufactured by her own domes- 
tics and worn by herself, one weighing a pound and a half, 
the other rather less. The silk stripes of the fabric were 
made from ravellings of brown silk stockings and old crim- 
son damask chair-covers. Her coachman, footman, and 
waiting-maid, who accompanied her, were all attired in do- 
mestic cloth, excepting the coachman's cuffs, which, being 
scarlet, were imported before the war.* In the practice of 
this economy and moderation, as in the simplicity of her 
dress, Mrs. Washington afforded an example to others at 
that perilous time, for it was the darkest period of the war. 
Mrs. Washington was the guest of Mrs. Wilson several 
times during the war while the former was on her way to 
and from head-quarters. Their friendship for each other 
then formed was strong and lasting. The hospitality she 
had enjoyed under her friend's roof was not forgotten by 
Mrs. Washington, but was recognized and warmly recipro- 
cated at the house of President Washington, at Philadel- 
phia, by marked attention to the daughter and only child 
of Mrs. Wilson on her entrance into society. She extend- 
ed to the young lady courtesies not usually shown by elder- 
ly matrons to persons of her age. Mrs. Washington often 
called upon INIiss Wilson, and she was invariably invited to 
the private parties at the presidential mansion and to the 
drawing-rooms. t 

* See Mrs. Ellet's " Women of the Revolution," vol. ii., p. 18. 

\ A lady describing the appearance of ]\Iiss Wilson at a drawing- 
room has given us a glimpse of the fashionable dress of a young lady 
nearly a century ago, as follows : " Miss Wilson looked beautifully last 
night. She was in full dress, yet in elegant simplicity. She wore book- 
muslin over white niantua, trimmed with broad lace round the neck ; 



A SEVERE WINTER. 



191 



When Mrs. Washington arrived at head-quarters, Mrs. 
General Greene and the wives of other ofificers were already 
in camp. The winter was one of unusual severity. So in- 
tense was the cold in January that New York Bay was so 
thickly frozen over that large bodies of troops with heavy 
cannons passed over the ice-bridge from New York City to 



1> 'v.(A'' > /v 

*' V V -4^- 





-g" 







ikmn^Jisv iiijtji, 



L ®*BKr — — -J— . 
washington's head-quarters at morristown. 

Staten Island, a distance of six miles. Around the camp 
the snow lay from four to six feet in depth, obstructing 
travel and preventing the transportation of provisions to 
the camp. 

" We have had the virtue and patience of the army put 

half sleeves of the same, also trimmed with lace, with white satin sash, 
with slippers ; her hair elegantly dressed in curls, without flowers, feath- 
ers, or jewellery. Mrs. Moylan told me she was the handsomest person 
at the drawing-room, and more admired than any other there." 



192 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

to the severest trial," Washington wrote to a friend — "some- 
times it has been five or six clays together without bread ; 
at other times as many without meat, and once or twice two 
or three days at a time without either. ... At one time the 
soldiers ate every kind of horse food but hay. Buckwheat, 
common wheat, rye, and Indian -corn composed the meal 
which made their bread." These sufferings caused many 
desertions, but not a mutiny. 

The nearest portion of the main body of the army was 
about two miles distant from head-quarters — near enough 
to be called into service instantly, if necessary. During the 
winter many false alarms occurred, which set the whole 
camp in motion. Sometimes an alarm would begin by the 
firing of a gun at some remote point. This would be re- 
sponded to by discharges along the whole line of sentinels 
to the head-quarters, when the Lifeguard would immedi- 
ately march to the home of the general, barricade the doors, 
and throw up the windows. At each window five soldiers, 
with their muskets cocked, would be placed, where they 
would remain until troops from the camp reached head- 
quarters, and the cause of the alarm was ascertained. 
These occasions were very annoying to the ladies of the 
household, for both Mrs. \\'ashington and Mrs. Ford were 
compelled to lie in bed, sometimes for hours, with their 
room full of soldiers, and the keen winter air from the open 
windows piercing through their drawn curtains. On these 
occasions Washington invariably went to Mrs. Ford's room, 
drew the bed-curtains, and assured her of safety. 

Immediately after the arrival of Mrs. Washington at head- 
quarters, some of the principal ladies of Morristown made 
her a formal visit together, to welcome her to their society. 



VISITORS AT MORRISTOWN. I93 

Dressed in their most elegant attire, and wearing their jewels 
and other ornaments, they were ushered into the presence 
of the distinguished lady, by whom they were cordially 
received. They were surprised to find her habited in a 
very plain gown made of home-made stuff, a white kerchief 
covering her neck and bosom, a neat cap, and no ornament 
but a plain gold wedding-ring. While with her right hand 
she gave each a kindly greeting, in her left hand she held a 
half-knit stocking, the ball of yarn lying in an outside pocket 
hanging at her side. They were still more surprised, when 
seated, to observe the dignified little woman, while engaged 
in anin^ated conversation with them, making them feel at 
ease, plying her knitting-needles incessantly, while they 
spent the hour in her presence with idle fingers. One of 
the ladies wrote to a friend : 

" Yesterday, with several others, I visited Lady Washing- 
ton at head-quarters. We expected to find the wealthy 
wife of the great general elegantly dressed, for the time of 
our visit had been fixed ; but, instead, she was neatly at- 
tired in a plain brown habit. Her gracious and cheerful 
manners delighted us all, but we felt rebuked by the plain- 
ness of her apparel and her example of persistent industry, 
while we were extravagantly dressed idlers, a name not very 
creditable in these perilous times. She seems very wise in 
experience, kind-hearted and winning in all her ways. She 
talked much of the sufferings of the poor soldiers, especial- 
ly of the sick ones. Her heart seemed to be full of com- 
passion for them." 

These ladies and others of the village joined Mrs. Wash- 
ington most heartily in schemes and labors for the allevia- 
tion of the sick in camp, and with the wives of other officers 

13 



194 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

made an agreeable social circle during that dreadful win- 
ter. 

To this social circle a notable addition was made v/hen, 
at the close of February, Gen. Philip Schuyler arrived at 
camp with his wife and charming daughter, Elizabeth, then 
about twenty-two years of age. They occupied a house not 
far from the present railway-station. It was during their 
sojourn there in the spring of 17S0 that the graces of Miss 
Schuyler won the admiration of Colonel Hamilton, and she 
afterwards became his wife. General Schuyler had been 
sent to the camp by Congress, to confer with Washington 
concerning a plan of operations in the ensuing campaign. 
He was regarded by that body and by the commander-in- 
chief as one of the wisest of counsellors. 

In the year 1848 I passed a night, by invitation, at the 
head-quarters of Washington at Morristown. It then be- 
longed to Judge Gabriel Ford, a son of the widow Ford be- 
fore mentioned. He was a lad about fourteen years of age 
at the time of the encampment there, and had vivid recol- 
lections of occurrences at that period. Much of what I 
have here recorded about the head-quarters, I learned from 
the lips of this venerable man during a long evening's con- 
versation with him. As a special courtesy I was permitted 
to slee|) in the room which had been used as a bedchamber 
by Washington and his wife. The carpet upon the floor, 
dark and of a rich pattern, was the same that had been 
pressed by the feet of the illustrious occupants nearly seven- 
ty years before. And in the apartment below, which Wash- 
ington used as a dining-room, I saw a " secretary " and book- 
case which formed a portion of the furniture of the house 
at the time. Among other incidents. Judge Ford related 



HAMILTON AND MISS SCHUYLER. 195 

an interesting one connected with Colonel Hamilton's court- 
ship of Miss Schuyler. 

Young Ford was a favorite with Hamilton, who would 
give him the countersign, so as to allow him to play at the 
village after the sentinels were posted for the night. On 
one occasion he was returning home about nine o'clock in 
the evening, and had passed the sentinel, when he recog- 
nized the voice of Hamilton in reply to the soldier's demand 
" Who comes there ?" The lad stepped aside and waited for 
the colonel to accompany him to the house. The latter 
came to the point of the presented bayonet of the sentinel 
to give the countersign, but had quite forgotten it. Just 
then he recognized young Ford in the gloom. " Aye, master 
Ford, is that you V he said, in an undertone, and stepping 
aside he said to the lad in a whisper, *' Give me the counter- 
sign." Ford did so, when Hamilton stepped in front of the 
soldier and delivered it. The sentinel, seeing the move- 
ment and suspecting that his superior was testing his fidel- 
ity, kept his bayonet unmoved. 

" I have given you the countersign ; why do you not 
shoulder your musket ?" asked Hamilton. 

" Will that do, colonel ?" said the soldier. 

" It will for this time," said Hamilton ; " let me pass." 

The faithful soldier reluctantly obeyed the illegal order, 
and Hamilton and his young companion reached head- 
quarters without further difficulty. " He had spent the 
evening with Miss Schuyler," said Judge Ford, " and 
thoughts of her undoubtedly expelled the countersign from 
his head." 

This incident became known to Mrs. Washington, who, 
with infinite good-humor amounting to fun, rallied Hamilton 



196 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

on his being subdued by the "sly archer," and made to sur- 
render to a boy in a double sense. 

The monotonous life in camp was varied in April, when 
the Chevalier de Luzerne, the French minister and his 
suite, accompanied by De Miralles, the Spanish gentleman 
already mentioned, arrived at head-quarters. They remained 
some time. A ball was given at the Morris Hotel in honor 
of the minister, which was attended by the general and Mrs. 
Washington, General Schuyler and his wife and daughter, 
the other officers of the army with their wives, Governor 
Livingston and his wife and daughter, and many ladies and 
gentleman of the neighborhood. Immediately after the ball, 
De Miralles, who was entertained at head-quarters, was at- 
tacked with lung fever, and died on the 28th. He was ten- 
derly cared for by Mrs. Washington, who ministered to his 
wants with her own hands. His remains were interred in 
the burying-grouncl of the Presbyterian Church at Morris- 
town. The religious ceremonies of the funeral were per- 
formed by a Spanish priest who accompanied Miralles. 
Washington and other general officers and members of Con- 
gress walked in the funeral procession as chief mourners. 
The coffin was borne on the shoulders of four artillery offi- 
cers in full uniform. During the procession minute-guns 
were fired.* 

* Miralles, it was said, possessed immense wealth. Previous to the 
burial, his body, richly dressed, lay in state, exposed to public view, as 
was customary in Europe. The coffin was lined throughout with fine 
crape and covered on the outside with rich, fine black velvet, superbly 
ornamented. The body was in full dress — a suit of scarlet, embroidered 
with rich gold lace, a three-cornered, gold-laced hat, a queued wig, white 
silk stockings, large diamond shoe and knee buckles. A profusion of 



MILITARY EVENTS. 197 

Preparations for the campaign of 1780 were made quite 
early. Congress fixed the number of the Continental forces 
nominally at thirty-five thousand men, but at the beginning 
of April, when the States were to have completed their 
quotas, Washington's immediate command did not exceed 
ten thousand men. Early in May there were signs of move- 
ments among the British forces, when Mrs. Washington de- 
parted for Mount Vernon, under a proper escort, and did 
not see her husband again until she rejoined him at head- 
quarters late in the year. 

Meanwhile, important events had occurred in various 
parts of the infant republic. British forces took possession 
of Charleston, in South Carolina, in May, and under the 
general command of Lord Cornwallis overran that State. 
Battles and skirmishes were quite numerous in the South. 
In truth, nearly all military operations of moment were 
confined to that region during the remainder of the year. 
A little invasion of New Jersey from Staten Island by Brit- 
ish troops occurred early in June, which caused the breaking 
up of the camp at Morristown and a military movement 
towards the Hudson Highlands. A few days afterwards 
tidings came from the East that a powerful French fleet, 
bearing six thousand troops, had arrived at Newport, R. L, 
to assist the Americans in their struggle. Then followed 
the discovery of Arnold's treason and the arrest and execu- 
tion of his complotter. Major Andre', the adjutant-general 
of the British army. 



diamond rings decorated his fingers, and from an elegant gold watch set 
with diamonds several rich seals were appended. Miralles left three 
daughters, who each became heir to half a million dollars. 



igS MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

As the French could not be induced to co-operate with 
the Americans before the next year, Washington cantoned 
his army in winter- quarters late in November, at points 
from Colchester, in Connecticut, on the east, to Lancaster, 
in Pennsylvania, chiefly for the purpose of confining the 
British on Manhattan and Staten islands, and to watch 
their movements there. Many troops were quartered in 
and near the Hudson Highlands, and the head-quarters of 
the army was established at New Windsor, on the west side 
of Newburg Bay, early in December. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Mrs. Washington arrived at Philadelphia late in No- 
vember (1780), on her way to join her husband at head- 
quarters. She tarried several days in that city, the guest 
of President Reed, whose charming wife had died a few 
v/eeks before, at the early age of thirty-four years. 

Mrs. Washington found the patriotic ladies of Philadel- 
phia earnestly engaged in efforts for the relief of the sol- 
diers, who were in great distress from want of sufficient 
clothing, the funds of the commissariat being exhausted 
and the public credit almost ruined. The paper currency, 
which soon afterwards ceased circulation, was then so de- 
pj-eciated that its purchasing power was in the proportion 
of forty paper dollars to one of specie. In the patriotic 
labors of the ladies of Philadelphia Mrs. Washington most 
diligently participated during her brief sojourn there. 

The Philadelphia women had formed an association dur- 
ing the preceding summer, for the purpose of carrying out 
this patriotic design of relief. Mrs. Reed, though in feeble 
health and burdened with many cares, entered heartily into 
the work, and by unanimous consent was chosen jDresident 
of the association. All ranks of society joined in the effort, 
and so liberal were the contributions in money that the ag- 
gregate sum collected was over seven thousand five hundred 
dollars in specie value. The Marquis de Lafayette contrib- 
uted, in the name of his wife, $500 in specie. The Countess 



200 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

de Luzerne, wife of the French minister, gave $6,000 in Con- 
tii>ental money (equal to $100 in specie). Mrs. Washington 
gave $20,000, or $340 in specie.* The ladies all toiled in- 
cessantly with their needles in fashioning the garments, and 
many of them gave their trinkets to raise money for the 
cause. The Marquis de Chastellux, an accomplished French 
officer, who was in Philadelphia at the close of November, 
wrote as follows concerning his visit to Mrs. Bache, daugh- 
ter of Dr. Franklin, upon whose shoulders the official man- 
tle of Mrs. Reed had fallen : 

" She conducted me into a room filled with work lately 
finished by the ladies of Philadelphia. The work consisted 
neither of embroidered tambour waistcoats nor network edg- 
ing, nor of gold and silver brocade ; it was a quantity of 
shirts for the soldiers of Pennsylvania. The ladies bought 
the linen from their own private purses, and took a pleasure 
in cutting them out and sewing them themselves. On each 
shirt was the name of the married, or unmarried, lady who 
made it, and they amounted to twenty-two hundred." 

These shirts were forwarded to camp at near the close of 
the year. Mrs. Bache wrote to Washington (December 26th) 
that they were twenty-five hundred in number, and would 
have been at camp much sooner, " had not the general sick- 
ness prevailed. We wish them to be worn," she wrote, 
"with as much pleasure as they were made." 

De Chastellux also wrote : " I found there [at Mr. Reed's] 
Mrs. Washington, who had just arrived from Virginia and 



* I quote the following entry from Washington's day-book: "Oct. 
10, 1780. By Mrs. Ramsay, Mrs. Washington's bounty to the soldiers, 
20,000 dollars, ;^6,ooo." 



AT NEW WINDSOR. 201 

was going to stay with her husband, as she does at the end 
of every campaign. She is about forty, or five-and-forty, 
rather plump, but fresh, and with an agreeable face."* 

Washington established his head-quarters at New Wind- 
sor, a little village on the Hudson two miles below New- 
burgh, on the 9th of December, where he remained until the 
summer of 1781. He occupied a plain, old-fashioned Dutch 
farm-house, built by one of the De Witt family. It was not 
large, but very comfortable in cold weather. Mrs. Washing- 
ton arrived there at the middle of December, and was re- 
ceived, as usual, with the warmest tokens of welcome by 
the officers and their wives who were in camp, and by the 
soldiers — particularly by the Lifeguard, to whom she was 
endeared by her gracious bearing and many acts of kind- 
ness. At head-quarters she gave frequent entertainments 
to the choice social circle of the camp, and held the most 
friendly relations to the society of the neighborhood. Her 
first entertainment after her arrival was on Christmas (1780), 
the chief features of which were described to me by Uzal 
Knapp, the last survivor of Washington's Lifeguard. 

It was on a pleasant afternoon in 1848 that I visited Mr. 

* The translator (George Grieve) of De Chastellux's "Travels in 
North America" into English, in 1783, says in a note: "I had the 
pleasure of passing a day or two with Mrs. Washington, at the General's 
home in Virginia, where she appeared to me to be one of the best of 
women in the world, and beloved by all about her. She has no family 
by the General, but was surrounded by her grandchildren and Mrs. 
Custis, her son's widow. The family were then in mourning for Mr. 
Custis, her son by a former marriage, whose premature death was a sub- 
ject of public and private regret. He was brought up by the General 
as his own son, and formed himself successfully on his model. He suc- 
ceeded the General as representative of Fairfax County." 



202 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Knapp, who resided a few miles from Newburgh. He was 
then ninety-one years of age. In answer to inquiries about 
his special duty as a Lifeguardsman when the army was en- 
camped in the neighborhood of Newburgh, he said he was 
usually a special guard at the door of head-quarters, at the 
time of entertainments, and then he spoke of the first enter- 
tainment by the general and his wife at New Windsor, on 
Christmas-day. 

" I shall never forget it," he said. " There was trouble 
at the time in procuring poultry for head-quarters, joarticu- 
larly turkeys, for the camp had but lately been established, 
and the farmers in all directions had been robbed of their 
fowls by the soldiers. As I knew all the farmers in the 
neighborhood, I was sent to procure poultry for this occa- 
sion. I travelled far without success, when I came to the 
home of Gen. James Clinton, who was then in the Northern 
Department. His wife, Molly, one of the best of women, 
had locked up several turkeys for her family's use, but gladly 
let me have three of them for the general, with which I re- 
turned to head-quarters." 

"Who were at that Christmas dinner.?" I inquired. 

" I cannot remember all," he answered, " There were 
two young French ofiicers from Rochambeau's army at New- 
port, Governor George Clinton and his wife or daughter, 
some gentlemen and their wives from the neighborhood, 
Molly Clinton, who, you know, was the mother of De Witt 
Clinton, and the staff-officers and the wives of two of them. 
Colonel Hamilton was then in Albany, where he had mar- 
ried General Schuyler's daughter only ten days before, and 
did not return until after the holidays. There were about 
twenty at the table, which was set in the biggest room in 



A CHRISTMAS DINNER. 203 

the house. Besides poultry there were beef and mutton. 
After dinner spiced wine was passed round, followed by pies, 
puddings, apples, nuts,* and cider. I was detailed as a ser- 
geant to take charge of the Lifeguard band, which played 
lively tunes during the feast, and so I saw all that was going 
on in the room, for we were stationed in the passage through 
which each guest went to the dining-room. 

" On such occasions Colonel Hamilton generally sat at 
the head of the table, but now being absent, the general 
presided at one end of the table himself, and Mrs. Wash- 
ington at the other end. She was a short, stout built, and 
good little woman. We all loved her'. Before the guests 
sat down, the general, standing, asked a blessing with sol- 
emn tones and closed eyes. Old Billy, Washington's body- 
servant, whose head appeared like a bunch of white sheep's- 



* According to De Chastellux, Washington was extremely fond of 
hickory nuts. Describing a dinner at head-quarters at whicli the mar- 
quis " assisted," he wrote, " After this the cloth was taken off, and apples 
and a great quantity of nuts were served, which General Washington 
usually continued eating for two hours, toasting and conversing all the 
time. These nuts are small and dry, and have so hard a shell that they 
can only be broken by the hammer. They are served half open, and 
the company are never done picking and eating them." 

It is also related by another writer that both Mrs. Washington and her 
husband were excessively fond of eggs as food. While she was at New 
Windsor eggs became so scarce that few could be procured for the gen- 
eral's table. So reported his purveyor, one of the Lifeguard. Wash- 
ington immediately made a requisition on the quartermaster for a large 
quantity of salt. Salt was such a luxury among the people that it be- 
came a sort of currency. The country people were informed that salt 
would be given for eggs, and very soon the table at head-quarters was 
bountifully supplied with them. 



204 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON, 



wool, was the chief waiter on that occasion, and moved with 
great dignity. In the evening some of the young people of 
the village were invited in, together with the non-commis- 
sioned officers of the Guard, and all indulged in innocent 
amusement, particularly dancing, until nine o'clock, when 
the company broke up. Captain Colfax, who commanded 
the Guard, was a guest at the dinner. We all had a good 
time. 

" Oh ! I forgot to tell you the best part of my story of 
this Christmas dinner," said the veteran. " It was the re- 
fusal of a proud little girl to accept Mrs. Washington's 
invitation to dine with her and her friends on that day. 

The little maid was then in 
her teens, and was less than 
three feet high. Wlien she 
became a woman she was 
never a yard in height. She 
thought Mrs. Washington's 
invitation was given only for 
the purpose of gratifying the 
curiosity of her guests. The 
maiden's name was Anna 
Brewster, and she was de- 
scended from the famous 
Elder Brewster of the May- 
Jfowcr. She was handsome, 
and perfect in form, the 
smallest woman ever seen in America. She lived a maiden 
until she was seventy-five years old, always dignified in man- 
ners and loved by everybody. More than fifty years ago a 
farmer's son living in the neighborhood, after spending an 




UZAL KNAPP. 



THE LIFEGUARDSMAN, 205 

evening with her when she was about thirty years old, wrote 
an acrostic on her name. He gave it to a friend living in 
New York, who had it printed in a newspaper, which I have 
kept until now. I'll show it to you." 

The old Guardsman stepped into another room and 
brought out a faded and worn newspaper, from which I 
copied the effusion,* Sergeant Knapp lived until January, 

* The old Guardsman's memoiy was a little at fault concerning the 
acrostic. It was written by Moses Guest, a native of New Brunswick, 
who had Ijeen an officer in the New Jersey line and had assisted in the 
capture of the famous British partisan leader, Lieut. -col. J. G. Simcoe, 
in October, 1779. When he wrote the poem in 1794, he was thirty- 
eight years of age. In a collection of his poems, published in 1823, the 
acrostic appears, and in a note appended to it the author says it was 
written after spending an evening with the little young woman, who was 
then twenty -four years of age, and "only two feet eight inches in 
height." Mr. Guest, alluding to her refusal to accept the invitation to 
participate in the Christmas dinner, says she was afterwards prevailed 
upon to become one of Mrs. Washington's family. The rare volume of 
poems by Mr. Guest is in the possession of a friend. The following is 
a copy of the acrostic : 

" A pretty, charming little creature, 
N eat and comjilete in every feature, 
N ow at New Windsor may be seen, 
A II beauteous in her air and mien. 

B irth and power, wealth and fame, 
R ise not to view when her we name; 
E very virtue in her shine, 
W iscly nice but not o'er fine. 

S he has a soul that's great, 'tis said, 
T hough small's the body of this maid; 
E 'en though the casket is but small, 
K eason proclaims the jewel all." 



206 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

1856, when he died at the age of ninety-six years. His re- 
mains repose at the foot of a fiag-staff a few yards from 
Washington's head-quarters at Newburgh, in a beautiful sar- 
cophagus made of brown freestone, designed by H. K. 
Brown, the sculptor. 

The life of Mrs. Washington at New Windsor was not, 
in its general aspects, unlike that at other places while in 
camp. There were more excitements and anxiety for her- 
self and husband than at any other time while she was in 
camp, excepting at Cambridge, for there were important 
military operations in various places during the whole time 
of her sojourn at New Windsor. At the beginning of Jan- 
uary (1781) there was a serious mutiny among the Pennsyl- 
vania troops near Morristown. Arnold the traitor, at the 
head of British and Tory marauders, desolated plantations 
on the borders of the James River, in Virginia, and carried 
away a vast amount of plunder. The French army and 
navy at Newport demanded Washington's personal atten- 
tion, and caused his absence from head-quarters nineteen 
days in March, on a visit to Rochambeau, to confer with 
him concerning the ensuing campaign. In the Carolinas 
battles and skirmishes, and other active military operations, 
were in progress all the winter and spring. 

Mrs. Washington was made specially anxious because of 
another invasion of the Potomac region by British armed 
vessels in April, which threatened the desolation of her 
home. One of these vessels anchored off Mount Vernon. 
The commander sent a flag on shore, demanding an inter- 
view on his vessel with Lund Washington, the trusted man- 
ager of the estate. Mr. Washington complied, when a de- 
mand was made for supplies as a ransom. The commander 



LIFE AT NEW WINDSOR. 207 

agreed that if these should be furnished he would spare the 
estate. Already some of the slaves had deserted and were 
on the vessel. Mr. Washington, anxious to save the prop- 
erty, yielded. After receiving the quantity of supplies de- 
manded, the vessel sailed down the river. This compliance 
on the part of his agent drew from Washington a most 
pointed rebuke, in a letter dated April 30th, in which he 
said : 

" I am thoroughly persuaded that you acted from your 
best judgment, and I believe that your desire to preserve 
my property and rescue the buildings from impending dan- 
ger was your governing motive ; but to go on board their 
vessels, carry them refreshments, commune with a parcel of 
plundering scoundrels, and request a favor by asking a sur- 
render of my negroes, was exceedingly ill-judged, and, it is 
to be feared, will be unhappy in its consequences, as it will 
be a precedent for others and may become a subject for 
animadversion." 

The monotony of Mrs. Washington's life at head-quarters 
was broken occasionally by the arrival of strangers — mili- 
tary officers from the French camp in the East, civil officers 
from the French diplomatic bureau at Philadelphia, and a 
member, or members, of Congress. In February the gen- 
eral lost one of the most valued (socially and officially) of 
his military family, by the withdrawal of Colonel Hamilton 
from his staff. The departure of that officer and his charm- 
ing wife from head-quarters was deeply regretted by Mrs. 
Washington ; but she always yielded with cheerfulness to 
the inevitable, and was a continual ray cf sunshine beam- 
ing with hope for the often perplexed mind of the com- 
mander-in-chief. She remained with him until preparations 



208 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

were made for a junction of the allied American and French 
armies on the eastern bank of the lower Hudson, late in 
June, when she returned to Mount Vernon. There she 
dwelt in the loving society of her children and grandchildren 
until near the close of November, when, saddened by a great 
bereavement, she accompanied her husband, a victor in the 
field, to Philadelphia. 

An event occurred at Mount Vernon in the second week 
in September (17S1) which startled the dwellers there as 
much as if a hostile flotilla had anchored in the river before 
the mansion. It was the sudden and unheralded arrival, 
late at night, of the master, who had not crossed its thresh- 
old since May, 1775- He was accompanied only by Colonel 
Humphreys and the faithful Billy. They had left the Count 
de Rochambeau and the Marquis de Chastellux — one at 
Alexandria and the other at Georgetown — to follow them 
in the morning. Very soon the whole household was astir, 
and the news flew quickly over the whole estate that the 
master had arrived. At early dawn the servants came from 
every cabin to greet him, and many of the older ones looked 
sorrowfully upon a face so changed by the storms of cam- 
paigns and the mighty cares which had burdened his mind 
during more than six years of absence. 

This hallowed home — hallowed by joys and sorrows — was 
a place of rest for the officers who accompanied Washing- 
ton. Not so for him. He was not permitted to pass even 
an hour alone with his wife. Public and private cares were 
pressing heavily upon him. He was on his way to measure 
strength with a powerful enemy, and his words of affection 
were few and hurried. All the morning after his arrival he 
was closeted with his manager, and before dinner he wrote 



THE MASTER AT MOUNT VERNON. 209 

to Lafayette, who was contending with Cornwallis in Vir- 
ginia, that they were thus far on their way to him, and would 
be at his encampment at WiUiamslDurg on the 14th of Sep- 
tember. Cornwallis had been driven out of the Carolinas, 
and was now at Yorktown, on the Virginia peninsula, in a 
camp which he was strongly fortifying. 

On the second day after Washington's arrival at Mount 
Vernon — the nth of September — the mansion, not nearly 
so large as now, was crowded with guests, and ladies and 
gentlemen from the country for miles around sat at table 
with the master and mistress. There, too, were four little 
children whom the master and mistress loved as their own, 
for they were Mrs. Washington's grandchildren. The eldest 
was a beautiful girl five years old ; the youngest a boy only 
six months old. They were the children of John Parke 
Custis and his fair young wife, and all had been born during 
the absence of Washington from his home. 

On his departure from Mount Vernon, Washington was 
accompanied by young Custis, then twenty-eight years ot 
age, who took the position of aide-de-camp on the general's 
staff. It was a severe trial of the fortitude of Mrs. Wash- 
ington to bid adieu to her husband going to a death-struggle 
with a British army. It was a poignant grief for her, as a 
mother, to part with her only child, on whom her fondest 
earthly affections were centred, going on such a perilous 
errand. Equally keen was the grief of the young wife whose 
husband now went out to battle for the first time. How 
eagerly did those wives and mothers watch for the courier 
who almost daily brought intelligence from the camp. 

The allied American and French armies, twelve thousand 
strong, had joined on the Hudson early in Juh-, made their 

14 



2IO MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

way to the Virginia peninsula, and invested Cornwallis in 
his fortified camp at Yorktown. They formed a semicir- 
cular line, each end resting on the York River, on Septem- 
ber 28th. After compelling Cornwallis to abandon his out- 
works, they began a regular siege, and with the assistance 
of a French tieet under the Count de Grasse, the allies com- 
pelled the British to surrender, on October 19, 1781. 

There was peculiar joy in the family at Mount Vernon 
when, at early dawn on a bright, cool morning, a messenger 
arrived with the glad intelligence of the great victory — a 
prophecy of peace and a speedy return of loved ones to 
their home. The same messenger also conveyed from 
Washington the sad tidings that Mr. Custis was lying very 
ill with camp-fever at the house of Colonel Bassett, the hus- 
band of Mrs. Washington's sister, at Eltham, in Kent. His 
mother and wife, with his two younger children and their 
nurse,* were soon upon the road, hastening to the bedside 

* During my first visit at Arlington House, in 184S, the seat of George 
Washington Parke Custis, on the right bank of the Potomac, opposite 
Georgetown, I saw and conversed with this nurse. She was the last 
survivor of the slaves of Washington. She was a young girl at the time 
of the occurrence at Eltham. Every morning she was present at the 
family prayers at Arlington, which were read by the pious Mrs. Custis. 
The nurse was very old, and so afflicted with rheumatism that when she 
came out from a small side room Mrs. Custis had to assist her in kneel- 
ing and rising. After she returned to her room I asked Mrs. Custis if 
her mind was clear and memory trustworthy. She answered in the af- 
firmative, and gave me permission to go in and talk with her. I spent 
an hour with her most profitably, during which time she gave me quite 
a minute account of the sad journey of her mistress to Eltham and back, 
and of the occurrences there. 

The two children then adopted by Washington as his own were El- 



Washington's adopted children. 211 

of the sufferer. They tarried not a moment on the way, ex- 
cept to feed the horses. Washington had sent his trusted 
friend, Dr. Craik, to Mr. Custis, and followed himself as 
soon as important business at Yorktown would allow. He 
rode all night, arriving at Colonel Bassett's at dawn, a few 
hours after the anxious women from Mount Vernon had 
reached the bedside. They were all there just in time to 
see the beloved son and husband expire. The young wife 
was made a widow, and the loving mistress of Mount Ver- 
non a childless woman. Writing to Lafayette from Mount 
Vernon, Washington said : 

" I arrived at Eltham, the seat of Colonel Bassett, in time 
to see poor Custis breathe his last. This unexpected and 
affecting event threw Mrs. Washington and Mrs. Custis, who 
were both present, into such deep distress that the circum- 
stance of it, and a duty I owed to the deceased in assisting at 
his funeral, prevented my reaching this place till the 13th." 

After the first paroxysm of grief had subsided, Mrs. 
Washington and her husband were closeted together for 
some time. Then the general approached the stricken 
widow, and spoke many soothing words to her, and con- 
cluded by saying : 

"Your two younger children I adopt as my own." 

Mr. Custis was buried at Eltham, when the two sorrowing 
women returned to Mount Vernon. 

Washington left Yorktown on the 5th of November, with 
a large retinue of American and French officers, and pro- 
ceeded first to Mount Vernon and thence to Philadelphia. 

eanor Parke Custis, who was between two and three years of age, and 
George Washington Parke Custis, then six months old, who became one 
of the executors of Washington's will, and lived until 1857. 



212 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

At Fredericksburg he visited his mother and received the 
honors mentioned on page 62 of this work. The next day 
(November 13th), with a single aide and his servant Billy, he 
rode to his home, where he remained about a week, when, 
with Mrs. Washington, he journeyed to Philadelphia, receiv- 
ing congratulatory addresses at Alexandria, Annapolis, and 
Baltimore. Arriving at the seat of government, Mrs. Wash- 
ington took up her abode with a friend. The general was 
received with great enthusiasm by the people. The Con- 
gress had voted to present to him two tattered flags taken 
from the British at Yorktown, and these were given him at the 
close of the year by General Lincoln, the Secretary of War.* 
At the request of Congress, Washington remained several 
months in Philadelphia, both that he might enjoy a respite 
from tlie fatigues of war and that they might avail themselves 
of his aid in making preparations for securing the advan- 
tages of the recent victories and for another campaign, if 
necessary. He and Mrs. Washington tarried together in 
Philadelphia until late in April, 1782, when he made his 
head-quarters at Newburgh, on the Hudson. He continued 
the head-quarters of the army at that village until midsum- 
mer of 1783, Mrs. Washington spending most of the time 
with him. 

* One of these colors, considerably tattered, was the flag of the 7th Brit- 
ish regiment, made of heavy twilled silk, six feet in length and five feet 
four inches in width. The ground was blue, the central strips of the cross 
were red, the marginal ones were white. In the centre was a crown, 
and beneath it a garter, with the usual inscription in Norman French — 
Evil be to him who einl Ihinkcth — enclosing a full-blown rose, the floral em- 
blem of England. This, with a flag captured from the Hessians at Tren- 
ton and presented to him, were destroyed by fire that consumed the mu- 
seum at Alexandria a few years ago. 



CHAPTER X. 

The surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown virtually closed 
the war, but the Continental army was not actually disband- 
ed until late in 1783. 

Intelligence of the fate of Cornwallis and his army fell in 
the midst of the war-party in the British Parliament like an 
exploding bomb-shell. The wisest statesmen of all parties 
considered the events at Yorktown as a death-blow to all 
hope for future conquests in the United States. Lord North, 
the British premier, saw this clearly, and was greatly dis- 
tressed by the fearful tidings. He paced his room violent- 
ly, and throwing his arms wildly about, exclaimed, " Oh, 
God, it's all over ! it's all over !" 

A cessation of hostilities was agreed upon by Parliament 
in March, 1782, and by mutual consent the United States 
and Great Britain appointed commissioners to treat for 
peace on the basis of the independence of the former. A 
preliminary treaty of peace was effected, and a definite 
treaty was ratified. During the summer of 1782 the British 
troops evacuated Savannah, others left Charleston in De- 
cember, but they held the city of New York almost a year 
longer. 

Washington occupied for head-quarters at Newburgh a 
quaint stone house, built in 1750 by Jonathan Hasbrouck, 
a descendant of a Huguenot settler in that region. It is 
perfectly preserved, it having been bought for the purpose 



214 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

by the State of New York many years ago, and placed 
under the care of the municipal authorities of Newburgh. 
The interior structure of the house is quite remarkable. 
The largest room (which Washington used as a public audi- 
ence and a dining-room) has seven doors and only one win- 
dow. The fireplace in that room is really a part of the 
apartment, it being the space beneath a wide-mouthed chim- 
ney, sufficiently large to allow a small bullock to be roasted 
whole within it.* 

The " Hasbrouck House " is the most noted of any of the 
dwellings used by Washington as head-quarters at vari- 
ous times, for here he and Mrs. Washington, dwelt longer 
together in camp than elsewhere. Connected with its func- 
tions there were more important events than at other head- 
quarters, and there were more distinguished persons enter- 
tained there by the commander-in-chief and his wife than 

* Just before Lafayette's death, the American minister in Paris, with 
several of his countrymen, were invited by the venerable M. Marbois 
(who was the French Secretary of Legation in the United States under 
the Chevalier de Luzerne) to dine with him. Lafayette was among the 
guests. At about the dinner hour, the company were shown into a room 
which was in strong contrast with the other elegant apartments. It had 
the appearance of a large room in a Dutch or Belgian farm-house. On 
a long, rough table was spread a repast in keeping with the room. There 
was a single dish of meat, uncouth-looking pastry, wine in bottles and 
decanters, accompanied by glasses and silver goblets. " Do you know 
where we are ?" Marbois asked Lafayette and his companions, among 
whom was Col. Nicholas Fish. The marquis looked at the low ceiling 
with heavy bare beams, and the rest of the architecture, and after a brief 
pause he exclaimed, "Ah ! the seven doors and one window, and the sil- 
ver goblets, such as the marshals of France used in my youth ! We are 
in Washington's head-quarters on the Hudson fifty years ago !" 



i 



MRS. WASHINGTON AT NEWBURGH, 



215 



anywhere else. The head-quarters of Generals Greene and 
Knox were three or four miles from Newburgh, where the 
artillery were encamped. 

Mrs. Washington did not accompany her husband on his 
journey from Philadelphia to Newburgh, but followed him 
soon afterwards, arriving at head-quarters on the 20th of 







WASHINGTON S IIEAU-QUARTERS AT NRWnUKGH. 

April. She was warmly greeted by the ofificers and their 
wives, who were in camp, and by the heads of families in the 
neighborhood, who had known her at New Windsor. Mrs. 
Knox was the first to fly to the embrace of her good friend 
and to give her a kiss of welcome. 

Soon after Mrs. Washington's arrival she was a delighted 
participant in a grand /^/^ given at West Point in honor of 
the birth of the dauphin of France, the first son of Louis 
XVI. and Maria Antoinette. For that occasion a curious 
edifice — an enormous arbor — was erected under the direc- 
tion of Major Villefranche, an expert French engineer. It 



2l6 ^[ARTHA, THF, WIFK OF WASHINGTON. 

was about two huiulrcd and twontv loot in length and eighty 
feet in witlth, and was coni[ioseil of tlie materials alToicletl 
by the trees of the region. It was supported bv a grand 
colonnade of one hundred ami eighteen pillars, made of the 
trunks of trees. ,'l"he covering of the roof consisted of 
br.inciies of evergrcen-treos, curiously iiiter\vo\en. ami the 
same materials formeil the walls, leaving the emls open. On 
the inside every pillar was encircled by muskets with fixetl 
bayonets, and bound with wreaths of evergreens anil (lowers 
in a fanciful manner. The whole interior was beautifully 
decorated with festoons and garlands of tiowers, intermingleil 
with laurel, spruce, and arbor-vita' boughs. 'I'here were also 
eniblematical devices signilicant of the alliance between the 
United States and France. Many appropriate mottoes were 
seen among the decorations. 

The whole ainiy was paradeil on the occasion on both 
sides of the river, in full view of \\'est Point. They stacked 
their arms at a signal given by three discharges of cannon, 
when their otlicers repaireil to the Point to dine with the 
general and his other guests in the great arbor just de- 
scribed.* 

There was a notable gathering at head-quarters at New- 
burgh on the morning of May 31, 17S2, preparatory to a 

* In general orders issued .it Nowburgh on May cijtli, Gonoial Wasli- 
ington appended the following nioniorandum : 

" The Comniandor-ni-chiol' do>iiv> liis complinionls may lie presented 
to the Otlieers' Ladies, with and ni the nciglilioiliood of the aiiny, togeth- 
er w illi a re'piest that tliey will favor hnn willi tlieir company at dinner 
on Thursday next, at West Toint. The General will be happy to see 
any other L.idies of his own or his friends' acquaintance on the occasion, 
with.out tlie formality of a particular imitation." 



ENTERTAINMENT AT WEST POINT, 2l^ 

voyage thence to the scene of the gr^iwd fete. Among those 
present were Gov. George Clinton and his wife and suite, 
Generals Knox and Hand with their wives^ Egbert Benson 
and his wife, and Mrs. Chancellor Livingston and her sis- 
ter-in-law, Mrs. General Montgomery. These, with General 
Washington and his wife, went down the river in barges 
gayly decorated with flowers and laurel, and arrived at West 
Point between one and two o'clock in the afternoon. A 
great number of other ladies and gentlemen arrived at about 
the same time in land vehicles and barges, and the grand 
arbor and the grounds around presented a gay scene on 
that beautiful May day. 

The dinner was ready at five o'clock. At a signal of 
three cannon discharges the guests repaired to the arbor, 
which was protected by the Lifeguard. The general and 
his wife and suite, with other guests, moved from General 
MacDougall's quarters through a line of artillery, while mar- 
tial music enlivened the scene. More than five hundred 
guests partook of the feast. After the cloth was removed, 
thirteen appropriate toasts were drunk. Each was an- 
nounced by thirteen discharges of cannon and bursts of 
martial music. The guests retired from the table at seven 
o'clock. In the evening the arbor was brilliantly illuminat- 
ed by a vast number of candles, tastefully arranged. It was 
the scene of a gay ball, which was opened by Washington, 
with Mrs. Knox as his partner. A grand fen de joie from 
musketry and cannon was fired in the darkness throughout 
the whole line of the army on the neighboring hills. This 
was followed by shouts of "Long live the Dauphin !" by the 
whole army, thrice repeated. The celebration was ended 
by a grand display of fireworks. 



2l8 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Mrs. Washington remained at head -quarters until near 
the middle of July, when she departed with a proper escort 
for Mount Vernon. She passed happier weeks at her home 
than she had at any time during the war, for her spirits were 
buoyed by sure prospects of peace near at hand. Yet the 
precious treasure kept receding many months longer. She 
did not return to head-quarters until late in November. 

The French troops remained in Virginia, after the capitu- 
lation at Yorktown, until near the close of the summer of 
1782, when they marched for the Hudson River, and on 
September 15th joined the left of the American army near 
Verplanck's Point, below Peekskill. To that neighborhood 
Washington had drawn the American troops, about ten 
thousand in number. There the French army remained 
about a month, when they marched to Boston and embarked 
for the West Indies. The American troops went into win- 
ter-quarters at New Windsor, and Washington resumed his 
residence at Newburgh, where he and Mrs. Washington soon 
afterwards entertained Rochambeau and his suite while on 
their way from Rhode Island to Baltimore to embark for 
France. The Marquis de Chastellux reached head quarters 
a day before the arrival of Rochambeau.* 

* "We passed the North river as night came on," wrote the Mar- 
quis, "and arrived at six o'clock [December 5th] at Newburgh, where 
I found Mr. and Mrs. Washington, Colonel Humphreys, Colonel Tilgh- 
man, and Major Walker." After describing the house, he continued : 
" I found the company assembled in a small room which served by way 
of parlour. At nine supper was served, and when the hour of bedtime 
came, I found that the chamber, to which the General conducted me, was 
the very parlour I speak of, wherein he had made them place a camp 
bed. We assembled at breakfast the next morning at ten, during which 
interval my bed was folded up, and my chamber became my sitting-room 



PATRIOTISM OF THE TROOPS. 219 

The winter after the French troops left was one of com- 
parative repose from military duties ; yet it was a trying one 
in Washington's camp. The soldiers and their families were 
suffering much from want of the arrears in their pay, and 
great discontent prevailed. Congress seemed utterly un- 
able to afford relief, and in March a mutinous spirit was 
manifested, or suggested. This was inflamed by the famous 
" Newburgh Address j" but the wisdom, prudence, and char- 
acter of Washington arrested a threatened disaster, and 
made prominent the undying patriotism of the Continental 
troops.* 

for the whole afternoon ; for American manners do not admit of a bed in 
the room in which company is received, especially when there are wom- 
en. The smallness of the house, and the difficulty to which I saw that 
Mr. and Mrs. Washington had put themselves to receive me, made me 
apprehensive lest Mr. Rochambeau, who was to set out the day after me, 
by travelling as fast, might arrive on the day that I remained there. I 
resolved, therefore, to send to Fish-kill to meet him, with a request that 
he would stay there that night. Nor was my precaution superfluous, 
for my express found him already at the landing, where he slept, and 
did not join us till the next morning, as I was setting out. The day I 
remained at head-quarters was passed either at table or in conversation." 
— "Travels," vol. ii., p. 301. 

* Anonymous notifications were circulated in the army on March loth, 
requesting a general meeting of the officers the next day ; and at about 
the same time an anonymous address to the officers, clothed in terms cal- 
culated to greatly inflame the prevailing discontent, was also clandestine- 
ly circulated. Washington at once summoned a general meeting of the 
officers himself at the time designated. He made an address to them 
and then left their presence, that they might deliberate freely. Not only 
the mischievous effects of the anonymous address were counteracted, 
but expressions of the most ardent patriotism were embodied in resolu- 
tions that were adopted; also the warmest expressions of regard for the 
commander-in-chief. 



220 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

The 6th of February, the anniversary of the alliance with 
France, was celebrated by a feu de joie and the pardon and 
release of all military prisoners. Mrs. Washington wrote to 
her sister (Mrs. Bassett) on the 7th : 

•'Yesterday there was an interesting scene at Head-quar- 
ters. Over fifty soldiers, thinly clad, and with pale but 
happy faces, whom the General had pardoned in the morn- 
ing for various crimes, came to express their gratitude for 
his mercy and kindness to them. They had come in a body. 
One of them was spokesman for the rest. My heart was 
touched and my eyes were filled with tears. I gave the 
speaker some money to divide among them all, and bade 
them 'go, and sin no more.' The poor fellow kissed my 
hand and said, ' God bless Lady Washington !' Poor fel- 
lows ! " 

The negotiation of a preliminary treaty of peace was an- 
nounced to Washmgton late in March,* and a few weeks 
later the virtual disbandment of the army began by granting 
furloughs for an indefinite time to a large part of the officers 
and soldiers. On the iSth of October following Congress 
issued a proclamation discharging these from further serv- 
ice.! 

* Washington immediately sent a copy of the despatches from the 
Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Robert R. Livingston, to Governor Clinton, 
and on the note conveying them he wrote : " They contain, I presume, 
all the inteUigence respecting Peace, on which great and glorious event 
permit me to congratulate you with the greatest sincerity." Upon the 
envelope bearing the supei^scription Washington wrote, in large letters, 
with a broad dash under it, the word PEACE, a word that made the 
whole country vocal with thanksgivings. 

f In June the Society of the Cincinnati was formed, composed of the 
officers of the Continental army. Its chief object was the perpetuation 



ILLNESS AT NEWBURGH. 221 

At the middle of July, the general, in company with 
George Clinton, went up the Hudson River, and as far north 
as Crown Point on Lake Champlain. They crossed to the 
Mohawk valley and extended their journey westward to 
Fort Schuyler, near Rome, and returned to Newburgh on 
the evening of August 5th. The general found Mrs. Wash- 
ington very ill with a fever which had seized her soon after 
his departure. He also found there a letter from the Pres- 
ident of Congress then sitting at Princeton, in New Jersey, 
asking his attendance upon that body for consultation con- 
cerning arrangements for peace and other public matters. 
Mrs. Washington was too feeble to endure a journey until 
late in the month, and her husband would not leave her. 
Congress had provided and suitably furnished a house for 
them at Rocky Hill, a salubrious position between three 
and four miles from Princeton, at which they arrived on 
the 25th of August. Washington had left General Knox in 
charge of the troops. Before his arrival Congress had voted 
that an equestrian statue of him, executed in bronze, should 
be erected at the place where the permanent residence of 
Congress should be established.* 

and occasional renewal of the long-cherished friendship and social in- 
tercourse which had existed between them. The idea originated with 
General Knox. It was warmly approved by Washington. It consisted 
first of a General Society, but afterwards State societies were formed, 
bearing a sort of allegiance to the General Society. Washington was ap- 
pointed the first president, and Knox the first secretary. The society 
adopted an Order, the devices of which indicate the origin of its name. 
It shows Cincinnatus receiving the honor of the consulship from the 
Roman Senate, while engaged in the labors of husbandry. 

* It was resolved that the general should be represented in a Roman 
dress, holding a truncheon in his right hand, and his head encircled with 



222 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 




Washington's head-quarters at rocky hill. 

When Mrs. Washington left head-quarters at Newburgh, 
she bade a final adieu to the turmoils of camp life in which 
she had participated much of the time for nearly eight years, 



a laurel wreath. Also that on the pedestal of marble should be repre- 
sented in low-relief sculpture the five great military events of the war 
in which Washington commanded in person; namely, The Evacuation of 
Boston, the Capture of the Hessians at Trenton, the Battle at Princeton, 
the Action at Monmouth, and the Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown. 
It was decreed that on the upper part of the pedestal the following 
words should be engraved : The United States in Congress As- 
sembled ORDERED THIS STATUE TO BE ERECTED IN THE YeAR OF 

OUR Lord 1783 in Honor of George Washington, the Illustri- 
ous Commander-in-chief of the Armies of the United States 
OF America during the War which Vindicated and Secured 
THEIR Liberty, Sovereignty, and Independence. 
This statue was never erected. 



GARDENING AT NEWBURGH. 223 

and she looked forward with the most intense satisfaction 
to the time in the near future when with her husband and 
her grand-children she would enjoy the long-coveted felicity 
of quiet domestic life in retirement on the banks of the 
Potomac. Her sojourn at head- quarters from time to time 
had never been periods of idleness and unfruitfulness of 
good ; on the contrary she was ever one of the busiest of 
women, applying incessant industry for the benefit of her 
household or for others. Her abiding sympathy for, and 
generous deeds in behalf of, the suffering soldiers so en- 
deared her to the army that the veterans in their old age 
could never speak of her without emotions that brought 
forth the tear of gratitude. Her generosity and sympathy 
always stimulated their loyalty. 

Mrs. Washington had a passion for gardening, and her 
summer residence at Newburgh allowed her to indulge it. 
On the slope in front of head-quarters she had a rich gar- 
den of vegetables and flowers in which her own hands were 
often employed. Mr. Eager, the historian of Orange Coun- 
ty, told me more than thirty years ago that he remembered 
seeing rows of bricks there which had formed the borders 
of her flower-beds. 

Washington and his wife remained at Rocky Mount until 
the beginning of November, 1783, when the latter returned 
to Mount Vernon, after an absence of nearly two years. 
They had experienced much social enjoyment with the re- 
fined inhabitants of Princeton, a college town, and the fam- 
ilies of members of Congress, many of whom were there. 
Mrs, Washington there formed ties of friendship which were 
never broken while life endured. Meanwhile she was in 
constant correspondence with her daughter-in-law, who with 



224 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

her children were residing at Mount Vernon. The letters 
of the latter, always dutiful and affectionate, had recently 
expressed strong desires for Mrs. Washington's return. 
There was a deeper meaning in these expressions than their 
words implied, which Lund Washington revealed in a letter, 
by saying that Dr. David Stuart, of Maryland, was a fre- 
quent visitor at Mount Vernon, and that Mrs. Custis seemed 
to be much attached to him. The general and his wife 
were somewhat surprised, as the widow had never suggested 
such feelings, unless her earnestly expressed desire for Mrs. 
Washington's return might be construed into a wish that she 
might disclose the secret to her. Washington wrote to his 
kinsman, on behalf of Mrs. Washington and himself, saying, 
" If this should be the case, and she wants advice upon 
it, a father and mother [Mr. and Mrs. Calvert], who are at 
hand and competent to give it, are at the same time the 
most proper to be consulted in so interesting an event. For 
my own part, I never did, nor do I believe I ever shall, give 
advice to a woman who is setting out on a matrimonial voy- 
age ; first, because I never could advise one to marry with- 
out her own consent ; and, secondly, because I know it is to 
no purpose to advise her to refrain, when she has obtained 
it. A woman very rarely asks an opinion or requires advice 
on such an occasion till her resolution is formed ; and 
then it is with the hope and expectation of obtaining a sanc- 
tion — not that she means to be governed by your disappro- 
bation, that she applies. In a word, the plain English of 
the application may be summed up in these words : ' I wish 
vou to think as I do ; but, unhappily you differ from me in 
opinion, my heart, I must confess, is fixed, and I have gone 
too far now to retract.' 



ON MATRIMONIAL MATTERS. 225 

" If Mrs. Custis should ever suggest anything of this kind 
to me, I will give her my opinion of the measure, not of the 
ma7i, with candor, and to the following effect : ' I never ex- 
pected you would spend the rest of your days in widowhood ; 
but in a matter so important, and so interesting to yourself, 
children, and connexions, I wish you would make a prudent 
choice. To do which, many considerations are necessary : 
such as the family connexions of the man, his fortune (which 
is not the most essential in my eye), the line of conduct he 
has observed, and the disposition and frame of his mind. 
You should consider what prospect there is of his proving 
kind and affectionate to you ; just, generous, and attentive 
to your children ; and how far his connexions will be agree- 
able to you ; for when they are once formed, agreeable or 
not, the die being cast, your fate is fixed.' " 

Not long after this letter was written, Mrs. Custis and Dr. 
Stuart were married. The doctor proved to be an excellent 
husband, and was a friend and trusted counsellor of Wash- 
ington, who appointed him one of the commissioners of the 
District of Columbia when he was President of the United 
States. 

After the departure of Mrs. Washington for home, the 
general went to West Point. Having arranged with Sir Guy 
Carleton, the British commander-in-chief, for the evacuation 
of the city of New York by his forces on the 25th of No- 
vember, he accompanied a detachment of troops from West 
Point, and with Governor Clinton entered that city and 
took possession of it on the day appointed, when the Brit- 
ons had departed to their ships. 

On the 4th of December Washington took a final, affec- 
tionate, and affecting leave of his officers, who were with 

IS 



226 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

him at Fraunce's Tavern (yet standing), on the corner of 
Broad and Pearl streets, in New York. Leaving the room, 
he walked through lines of light infantry a short distance 
to the landing at Whitehall, where a barge was in waiting to 
convey him across the river to Paulus Hook, now Jersey 
City. The company of friends followed him to the place of 
embarkation. Having entered the barge, he turned to his 
sorrowing companions and, waving his hat, bade them a 
silent adieu. 

Congress had adjourned from Princeton to Annapolis, in 
Maryland. Thither Washington went from New York, mak- 
ing slow journeys, and receiving on the road everywhere the 
most cordial greetings, in testimony of the reverence and 
love of the people. Public addresses were presented to him 
by the Legislatures of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Mary- 
land ; also by societies of various kinds. Arriving at An- 
napolis, he made an appointment to meet the Congress, and 
resign into their hands the commission of commander-in- 
chief of the Continental armies, which he had received from 
them in June, 1775. Mrs. Washington had ridden from 
Mount Vernon to Annapolis in the family chaise, to join 
her husband and to convey him home. 

It was at noon on December 23, 1783, that Washington 
met Congress in the Senate Chamber of the old Maryland 
State House (yet standing), and after delivering a short 
speech with much dignity and feeling, handed his commis- 
sion tO' General Mififlin, the president of that body, who 
made an eloquent response. This interesting scene was 
witnessed by Mrs. Washington and other ladies, seated in 
the little gallery at the end of the chamber. The general 
immediately retired, and, after dining with a few friends, he 



RETURN TO MOUNT VERNON. 227 

and Mrs. Washington departed in their chaise drawn by- 
spirited horses, on their joyous journey homeward. They 
were accompanied some cHstance on the way by Governor 
Paca and his suite, and on the whole journey by Colonels 
Walker, Humphreys, and Smith, and the ever-present and 
ever-faithful Billy. This escort travelled on horseback. 

The party passed the night at an inn at Queen Anne, 
then at the head of the navigable waters of the Patuxent 
River, and at dawn the next morning set out for George- 
town, where they crossed the Potomac, rode on to Alexan- 
dria, and then partook of an early dinner. Towards evening 
they reached the boundaries of the Mount Vernon estate. 
They soon came to the cottage of Thomas Bishop, an hon- 
ored pensioner of the master of Mount Vernon, a venerable, 
white - haired mulatto over fourscore years old, who had 
been a servant to General Braddock, and entered the service 
of Colonel Washington on the death of that commander, 
nearly thirty years before.* Billy had ridden forward to ap- 
prise the old man of the approach of the travellers, and as 
the horses of the chaise were reined up at the door of the 
cottage, there stood the veteran, erect as a pine, and dressed 
in his full English regimentals which he wore at the defeat 
of Braddock! Lifting his cocked hat, he gave the whole 
party a graceful military salute. Then he grasped the hand 
of the beloved master, and kissed that of the equally loved 
mistress, while his really pretty daughter, with eyes filled 
with tears of gladness, dropped a modest courtesy. 

It was Christmas-eve, at sunset, when the travellers alight- 
ed at the western door of the mansion. The air was as 

* See page 95. 



228 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

balmy as in May. From every point came servants, young 
and old, to gaze upon the joyous scene. The military at- 
tendants of the general gave their bridles to willing grooms, 
and all were received into the mansion by two young ladies 
and their mother, residents of Fredericksburg, who had been 
invited to spend Christmas-day there. Most happy and mer- 
ry was that Christmas-time at Mount Vernon in 1783. 

Christmas-eve was spent most joyfully within and without 
the mansion. Until nine o'clock the men-servants kept up 
z.feu dejoie with guns and pistols, and made the air musical 
with fiddle and banjo, and all of them— men, women, and 
children — were made happy by an abundance of spiced me- 
theglin and cakes. 

The young officers who attended the general and his wife 
as a guard of honor and as guests had all served on the 
staff of the patriot. None of them was past thirty years 
of age, and all were accomplished gentlemen. Walker af- 
terwards became the manager of the Earl of Bute's large es- 
tates in Central New York ; Humphreys became an Amer- 
ican diplomatist abroad and an accomplished poet ; and 
Smith was John Adams's secretary of legation in London in 
1785, and married his daughter. 

All Christmas-day the near neighbors of the family and 
friends from Alexandria called at Mount Vernon to welcome 
the master home, and congratulate him on the bright pros- 
pects of their common country and the termination of his 
great and successful labors. The servants of the large es- 
tate, dressed in their best attire, were the earliest callers. 
It was the beginning of their week of merriment and exemp- 
tion from labor, according to custom. They departed each 
with a gift from the mistress and a heart full of delight. 



CHRISTMAS AT MOUNT VERNON. 229 

The venerable Bishop and his daughter came in a wagon 
just at sunrise, sure of finding the master and mistress astir. 
They were the first to give the master a respectful salutation, 
and to receive from the mistress kind words and the most 
bountiful dole for their Christmas dinner. From noon un- 
til night visitors came and went, some returning home by 
the light of the young moon, then in its first quarter. One 
of the young ladies from Fredericksburg (Miss Lewis), writ- 
ing to a friend a few days afterwards, said, 

" I must tell you what a charming day I spent at Mount 
Vernon with Mama and Sally. The Gen'l and Madame 
came home on Christmas Eve, and such a racket the Serv- 
ants made, for they were glad of their coming ! Three 
handsome young Officers came with them. All Christmas 
afternoon people came to pay their Respects and Duty. 
Among them were stately Dames and gay young Women. 
The Gen'l seemed very happy, and Mistress Washington 
was busy from Daybrake making everything as agreeable 
as possible for Everybody. 

" Among the most notable of the callers was Mr. George 
Mason, of Gunston Hall, who was on his way home from 
Alexandria, and who brought a charming granddaughter 
with him, about fourteen years old. He is said to be one of 
the greatest Statesmen and wisest Men in Virginia. We had 
heard much of him, and were delighted to look in his Face, 
hear him speak, and take his Hand, which he offered in a 
courtly manner. He is straight in Figure, but not tall, and 
has a grand Head and clear grey Eyes. He has few white 
Hairs, though they say he is about si.xty years old. I have 
so much to tell you about this Christmas, I must leave the 
rest of the Story until I can speak it in your Ears." 



230 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

On that memorable Christmas-eve, Washington laid aside 
his military suit and assumed the garb of a private citizen. 
That suit of clothes he carefully preserved during the re- 
mainder of his life of sixteen years. It is still carefully pre- 
served, in almost as perfect a condition as when it was laid 
away at Mount Vernon, in a glass case in the Smithsonian 
Institution at the National Caj)ital. The coat is a deep 
blue in color, with buff facings and large, plain, gilt buttons. 
The waistcoat and breeches are made of the same cloth. 
Washington laid aside his war-sword at the same time. It, 
too, is carefully preserved with the military suit, and with it 
the " crab-stick " which Franklin bequeathed to Washing- 
ton, and which is alluded to in the concluding chapter of 
this volume. 



CHAPTER XI. 

Washington wrote his first letter, after his retirement, to 
his friend Governor Clinton, of New York, in which he said : 

" I arrived at my seat the day before Christmas, having 
previously divested myself of my official character. . . . The 
scene is at last closed. I feel myself eased of a load of 
public care, I hope to spend the remainder of my days in 
cultivating the affections of good men and in the practice of 
the domestic Virtues. Permit me still to consider you in 
the number of my friends, and to wish you every felicity. 
Mrs. Washington joins me in presenting the compliments of 
the season, with our best respects to Mrs. Clinton and the 
family." 

Nature seemed to sympathize with Washington and his 
wife in their strong desire for absolute rest and repose after 
the extraordinary fatigues and excitements of the past ten 
years. The spring-like weather on their return was at once 
succeeded by intense cold, and very soon Mount Vernon 
became completely snow-bound. Washington wrote to La- 
fayette on the ist of February (1784), saying: 

" On the eve of Christmas I entered these doors an older 
man by nine years than when I left them. Since that pe- 
riod we have been locked up in frost and snow, and excluded 
from all kinds of intercourse." 

Informed that Lafayette contemplated a visit to the Unit- 



232 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ed States the following summer, Mrs. Washington felt a 
strong desire that he should bring his wife with him, and 
that she should make Mount Vernon her home while she 
tarried in America. Washington wrote to the marchioness, 
thanking her for a letter she had written to Mrs. Washing- 
ton, conveying her felicitations on their retirement to private 
life, and inviting her to visit them in Paris. 

" I am now enjoying domestic life," Washington wrote, 
"under my own vine and my own fig-tree; and in a small 
Villa with the implements of husbandry, and lambkins about 
me, I expect to glide gently down the stream of life till I am 
entombed in the mansion of my fathers. 

" Mrs. Washington is highly honored by your felicitations, 
and feels very sensibly the force of your polite invitation to 
Paris ; but she is too far advanced in life, and is too much 
immersed in the care of her little progeny,* to cross the At- 
lantic. This, my dear Marchioness (indulge the freedom), 
is not the case with you. You have youth (and if you should 
not incline to bring your children,! can leave them with all 
the advantages of education), and must have the curiosity to 
see the country, young, rude, and uncultivated as it is, for 
the liberties of which your husband has fought, bled, and 



* The four young children of her deceased son, John Parke Custis — 
three daughters and a son. These were Elizabeth Parke, Martha Parke, 
Eleanor Parke, and George Washington Parke Custis. The two latter 
children were those whom Washington had adopted as his own. The 
health of their mother, always delicate, caused the chief care of these 
children to devolve upon Mrs. Washington, when at home, or upon the 
wife of Lund Washington in her absence. 

f She had two children, a son and daughter. The former was named 
George Washington, and the latter Virginie. 



THE MARCHIONESS LAFAYETTE. 233 

acquired much glory, where everybody admires, everybody 
loves him. Come, then, let me entreat you, and call my 
cottage your home ; for your own doors do not open to you 
with more readiness than mine would. You will see the 
plain manner in which we live,* and meet with rustic civili- 
ty ; and you shall taste the simplicity of rural life. It will 
diversify the scene, and give you a higher relish for the gay- 
eties of the court, when you return to Versailles. In these 
wishes, and in most respectful compliments, Mrs. Washing- 
ton joins me." 

The marchioness did not accompany her husband, who 
arrived in America in August, reaching Mount Vernon on 
the 17th and remaining there twelve days. 

Late in November Washington again wrote to the mar- 
chioness by the hand of her husband : " I have obtained a 
promise which the Marquis has ratified to Mrs. Washington 
that he will use his influence to bring you with him to this 
country whenever he shall visit it again. When the weight 
of so powerful an advocate is on our side, will you, my dear 
Marchioness, deny us the pleasure of your accompanying 
him to the shores of Columbia? In offering our mite, we 
can only assure you, that endeavor shall not be wanting, on 
our part, to make this new world as agreeable to you as rural 
scenes and peaceful retirement are competent to." 

Accompanying this letter was a brief note addressed by 
Washington to Virginie, the daughter of the marchioness, 
in which he said ; " Your Papa will carry a kiss for you from 

* Washington wrote to a friend : " My manner of living is plain, and 
I do not mean to be put out by it. A glass of wine and a bit of mutton 
are always ready, and such as will be content to partake of them are 
always welcome. Those who expect more will be disappointed." 



234 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

me, which might be more acceptable from a pretty boy," 
Though afterwards urged to come to Mount Vernon, the 
marchioness never ventured across the Atlantic. 

Washington called the house at Mount Vernon a "villa" 
and a "cottage." It was indeed a "cottage," as described 
on page 35, and was only about one- third the size of the 
present mansion. 

The master and mistress of Mount Vernon very soon dis- 
covered that their roseate dream of quietude and simplicity 
of life which they coveted was not to be realized. Washing- 
ton was the central figure of the group of great men who 
had laid the foundations of the young Republic. The eyes 
of the nation were speedily turned towards him for counsel 
and action, for it was soon found that the ship of state was 
embarked upon a perilous voyage. He was too great a man 
to remain an isolated citizen, and men of every degree — his 
own countrymen and strangers, soldiers and civilians — were 
soon seen upon pilgrimages to Mount Vernon ; and the little 
"villa" was too small to shelter in comfort the many guests 
that often assembled under its roof. 

Yielding to the inevitable, the general and Mrs. Washing- 
ton, who had entirely underrated the importance of their 
position, sat down and planned an enlargement of their 
dwellino- to dimensions which would allow them to exercise 
a generous hospitality so congenial to their feelings. Every 
arrano-ement of the new house was planned, primarily, for 
convenience and durability. Washington was his own ar- 
chitect. He drew every plan and specification for the build- 
ers but invariably submitted his suggestions as to the size 
and relative position of each room and closet to the judg- 
ment of Mrs. \\'ashington. The house was to be her realm, 



MANSION AT MOUNT VKRNON. 



235 



over which she was to reign as queen. He calculated and 
indicated every measurement with exactness ; ascertained 
the cost and defined the quality of all materials to be used, 
before purchasing, and superintended the building in per- 
son with the greatest vigilance. The result was the produc- 
tion of the spacious mansion at Mount Vernon as it appears 
to-day. 

The old building was not disturbed until the extensions, 
which were made at each end of it, were completed, when it 










MANHION AT MOUNT VKRNON. 



was modified. 'i"he whole structure is of the most substan- 
tial framework. It has now (1886) stood in its present form 
a century, and exhibits few signs of decay, though long neg- 
lected in intermediate years. It is two stories in height, 
ninety-six feet in length, thirty feet in depth, with a covered 
piazza or colonnade twelve feet wide extending along the 



236 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

entire eastern or river front, and supported by eight square 
columns twenty-five feet in height. 

Over this piazza is a bakistrade of a light and pleasing 
design, and in the centre of the roof is an observatory, or 
cupola, octagonal in form, with a small spire. There are 
seven dormer-windows in the roof — three on the eastern 
side, one on each end, and two on the western or lawn side. 

There is a spacious passage on the ground-floor extend- 
ing through the building from east to west, from which a 
massive staircase leads to the second story. On the lower 
floor are six rooms. These and the passage are all wain- 
scoted, and have large cornices, giving an appearance of 
great solidity to the whole. On the south side of the pas- 
sage are the parlor, breakfast-room, and library, and a narrow 
staircase leading to a private study on the second floor and 
to several chambers. On the north side of the passage are 
a reception - roowl and parlor and a large drawing-room. 
When there was much company the latter was sometimes 
used as a dining-room. The garret was made a large dor- 
mitory on special occasions. 

On each side of the mansion and about forty feet from it 
are substantial buildings — one erected for a kitchen, the 
other tor a storehouse and laundry. They are connected 
with the mansion by gracefully curved colonnades, which 
are paved and roofed. There were also two other buildings, 
used for house-servants' quarters. The flag-stones for the 
large and smaller colonnades were imported from Ostend. 
A house-joiner and bricklayer were procured in England to 
do the work, and all the tools used were imported. The 
buildings, constructed a century ago, are well preserved. 

The enlarged mansion al Mount Vernon was completed 



GROUNDS AT MOUNT VERNON. 237 

at the close of 1785, and it was made the scene of a joyous 
"house-warming" on Christmas-eve, in which friends and 
neighbors, old and young, participated. PYom that time 
Mount Vernon was seldom without a guest while Washing- 
ton and his family occupied it. As the master was absent 
much of the time on public business, the administering of 
the hospitalities of the house devolved chiefly upon Mrs. 
Washington. Her cordial greetings, her easy and simple 
grace of manner, and her unclouded cheerfulness charmed 
every guest, and the visit ever remained a vivid and sweet 
picture on the memory. 

The grounds around the house were symmetrically laid 
out, and beautified in accordance with a carefully drawn plan 
and specifications made by Washington. In the rear of the 
mansion he fashioned a spacious lawn upon a level surface, 
comprising about twenty acres. Around the lawn he made 
a serpentine carriage-way, on each side of which he plant- 
ed a great variety of shade-trees. On one side of the 
lawn he made spacious flower-gardens ; on the other side 
of the lawn he planted an equally spacious vegetable-gar- 
den. In each of these gardens he built a small house, oc- 
tagonal in form, for the storage of seeds and implements of 
horticulture. Massive brick walls were constructed around 
both gardens. Directly in front of the mansion was a large 
oval grass-plot, with a dial in its centre. The name and 
position of every tree along the serpentine carriage-way, and 
the measurements of distances between various objects, were 
indicated by Washington in carefully prepared diagrams or 
in writing. Quite a large number of the trees then planted 
by Washington are yet growing. The form and general ar- 
rangement of the grounds are the same to-day as they were 



238 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



at the death of Mrs. Washington in 1802. The accompanj'- 
ing diagram, reduced from Washington's original drawing. 




■ DIAGRAM OF GROUNDS AND BUILDINGS. 

A, The mansion ; B, Oval grass-plot ; C, The lawn ; D D, Flower-gardens ; E E, 
Vegetable-gardens ; F F, Kitchen and laundry ; G G, House-servants' quarters ; 
H H, Curved colonnades ; I I, Water-closets ; J J, Seed-houses ; K, Carriage-way ; 
L, Outside road. 

indicates the position of the buildings, the trees, and the 
form of the lawn.* 



* Not long before the breaking out of the late Civil War in the 
United States, successful efforts were made by the women of our coun- 



LAFAYETTE AT MOUNT VERNON. 239 

The visit of Lafayette late in the summer of 1784 was a 
source of exquisite pleasure to the master and mistress of 
Mount Vernon, and the friendship then warmly renewed 
was continued between the two families until death inter- 
vened. Mrs. Washington and the marchioness kept up a 
friendly correspondence, and tokens of kindly esteem passed 
between the grandchildren of the former and the children of 
the latter. Finally, when the fierce tempest of revolution 
in France swept Lafayette into an Austrian prison, his son, 
George Washington, found an asylum and tender, motherly 
care at Mount Vernon, while his own mother and his sisters 
were sharing with his father the gloomy prison at Olmiitz. 

Soon after Lafayette's return home after his visit in 
America he sent as a present to Washington a pack of 
French stag-hounds, not doubting the general would resume 
his favorite amusement of the chase in his retirement. 
Though grateful for the kind act of his friend, Washington 
did not feel specially thankful for the dogs. His hunting 
establishment had been broken up during the war. His 

try to purchase Mount Vernon, the domain to embrace the mansion and 
its appurtenances with two hundred acres of land. For this purpose 
" The Mount Vernon Ladies Association " was incorporated. Miss Ann 
Pamela Cunningham was constituted "Regent," or president for life, 
with a vice-regent in every State for the management of the property. 
The amount of the purchase-money ($200,000) was raised by subscrip- 
tion. The property belongs to the women of the United States. A 
superintendent is employed to manage the estate. The buildings have 
been renovated, and are kept in the condition in which the family of 
Washington left them at the beginning of this century. The mansion 
and grounds are open to visitors on the payment of a moderate fee. 
The money so received is devoted to the payment of current expenses 
and necessary repairs. 



240 MARTHA, THE WIFK OF WASHINGTON. 

hounds were dead, or had become too old for service on his 
return. He had some of tlie survivors for two or three 
years afterwards. A few months after the arrival of the 
French hounds he broke up his kennel, sold the dogs, and 
arranged and stocked a beautiful deer-park on the slopes 
near where the " new tomb " (^so called) of Washington may 
now be seen, 

Mrs. Washington rejoiced at this change, for the iM'ench 
hounds had annoyed her very much. They were very large 
and very aggressive dogs, especially Vulcan, who sometimes 
depredated in the kitchen. On one occasion he specially 
offended the mistress of the mansion. There were several 
guests at table. She observed that a ham — " the pride of 
any Virginia housewife's table " — was not in its accustomed 
place. On inc[uiring, it was ascertained that Vulcan liad 
entered the kitchen, seized the savory meat with his fangs, 
and in spite of tongs and pokers wielded by the kitchen de- 
fenders, had carried it to his kennel. ^Vashington good- 
naturedly revealed the situation to the guests, and all 
laughed heartily at the exploit of the hound, excepting Mrs, 
Washington. " My grandmother," said Mr, Custis, who re- 
lated the slory, '* uttered some remarks by no means favor- 
able to old Vulcan, and indeed to dogs in general. I loved 
the old hound, for I used to ride upon his back," 

At about the time of the arrival of the French hounds at 
Mount Vernon, a present came from London far more 
precious in the estimation of Mrs. ^^'ashington. It was an 
elegant chimney-piece, wrought from white and Sienite mar- 
ble,* and presented by Samuel Vaughan, a wealthy resi- 

* This work of art, whicii still adorns the drawing-room, was exqui- 
sitely wrought in every part. Upon three tablets of the prize, uniler the 



FIREPLACE AT MOUNT VERNON. 



241 



dent of the Uritish metropolis, who had conceived a pas- 
sionate admiration for the character of Washington. At the 




ITALIAN CHIMNEY-PIECE. 



time of its arrival at London, Mr. Vaughan had heard of 
the improvements in progress at Mount Vernon, and with- 

highly ornamented mantle, are sculptured, in very high-relief, in white 
marble, pleasant domestic scenes in agricultural life. The centre tablet 
is the largest, and on it is a representation of a husbandman and his 
wife and child returning from the field at evening, driving a cow and a 
flock of sheep. On the left of the central is the representation of a boy 
having a span of horses to be attached to a plough ; and on the right is 
a cottage. The wife and mother is drawing water from a well, and 
pouring it in* a tub for the purpose of cleansing vegetables which are 
lying near, f icr little girl has an apronful, and is eating a turnip. 

16 



242 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



out unpacking it, he sent the chimney-piece to the " cottage " 
on the Potomac. With it he sent beautiful porcelain vases 




TABLET ON THE LEFT. 






CENTRE TABLET. 






TABLET ON THE RIGHT. 



made in India and decorated in London ; also two bronze 
candelabra, the whole to ornament the mantle of the chim- 



LEAR, SECRETARY AND COMPANION. 243 

ney-piece. At the time of their arrival the plasterers were 
at work decorating the ceiling of the drawing-room. Around 
the modest fireplace in that room the costly and elegant 
chimney-piece was placed, and until this day has excited 
the admiration of the beholder. 

Washington found his time so much occupied by his 
guests, and his correspondence, which he vainly supposed 
would diminish, so constantly increasing, that he was com- 
pelled to employ a secretary. Tobias Lear, a young gen- 
tleman of Portsmouth, N. H., and a graduate of Harvard 
College, was engaged in that capacity. He was also em- 
ployed as tutor to the Custis children, and was received 
into the family most kindly. " He will sit at my table," 
Washington wrote to General Lincoln, who had recommend- 
ed Mr. Lear, " will live as I live, will mix with company 
who visit the house, and will be treated in every respect 
with civility and proper attention." Mr. Lear remained the 
private secretary of Washington most of the time until the 
death of the latter. He married, and he lost his wife at 
Mount Vernon. He was so much beloved by the general 
and his wife, that the former by his will secured to Mr. 
Lear the use of a farm, free of rent, so long as he should 
live. He was a great comfort and assistance to Mrs. Wash- 
ington in the absence of the general, and he was with her 
at the moment when the spirit of her husband departed.* 

* The entertainment of guests soon became so burdensome to Mrs, 
Washington, who would leave nothing of importance to the discretion of 
servants, that her husband wrote to Samuel Fraunce, a former tavern- 
keeper in New York, to procure for him a trustworthy steward for the 
household. " I would rather have a man than a woman," he wrote, 
"but either will do, if they can be recommended for honesty, sobriety, 



244 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

I will not attempt to delineate in detail the features of 
life at Mount Vernon from the time when the present man- 
sion was finished until the departure from it of its inmates 
in the spring of 1789, the master to assume the exalted du- 
ties of President of the United States, and the mistress to 
reign as sovereign of the presidential mansion and to as- 
sume the position of "The First Lady in the Republic." 
That life was the reverse of quiet and repose, yet Mrs. 
Washington, with a heart overflowing with maternal love, 
enjoyed an abundance of delight in the society of her bright 
and blooming grandchildren; for the two elder ones, Eliza- 
beth Parke and Martha Parke Custis, were also at Mount 
Vernon a large portion of the time until they grew to young 
womanhood. The training and the love of the four grand- 
children gave Mrs. Washington far more exquisite pleasure 
than she derived from the charming society with which she 
was brought in contact almost daily in New York and Phil- 
adelphia. 

The exigencies of public afTairs brought to Mount Vernon 
some of the wisest and best men to confer with Washington, 
and these persons formed a large portion of the guests for 
many months. The Articles of Confederation, which were 
adopted as the constitution of a national government, were 
found to be as weak, as a bond of union for the States, as 

and knowledge in their profession, which is in one word to relieve Mrs. 
Washington of the drudgery of ordering and seeing the table properly 
covered, and things economically used. . . . The wages I now give to a 
man who is about to leave me to get married (under which circumstances 
he would not suit me) is about one hundred dollars per annum ; but for 
one who understands the business perfectly, and stands fair in all other 
respects, I would go as far as one lunuhed and fifty dollars." 



AN ARTIST AT MOUNT VERNON. 245 

a rope of sand. It was at Mount Vernon that the prelimi- 
nary measures which led to repudiation of the Articles and 
the formation of our National Constitution were conceived, 
fostered, and finally put into active and efficient operation. 

From time to time many persons from beyond the sea, 
distinguished in art, letters, and politics, made pilgrimages 
to Mount Vernon, and experienced the most generous hos- 
pitality there. In May, 1785, Robert Edge Pine, a popular 
portrait-painter from England and a pupil of Sir Joshua 
Reynolds, was domiciled at Mount Vernon about three weeks. 
His visit was a professional one. He had come to Ameri- 
ca for the purpose of painting the portraits of men distin- 
guished in the war for independence, to be used in the com- 
position of a series of historical pictures which he had 
projected. Pine was very small in stature. He brought 
with him his wife and daughters, who were as small as he. 
They resided in Philadelphia. Pine bore to Washington a 
letter of introduction from Francis Hopkinson, and was re- 
ceived by the general and Mrs. Washington very cordially. 

Besides the portrait of Washington, Pine painted, while 
at Mount Vernon, the portraits of two of Mrs. Washington's 
grandchildren. These were Elizabeth Parke (who married 
Mr. Law) and George Washington Parke Custis. Elizabeth 
was then about nine years of age, and her brother was be- 
tween four and five years old. She is represented as a 
beautiful girl, with a profusion of rich brown curls, her bos- 
om covered with light drapery, and a miniature of her fa- 
ther suspended by a ribbon around her neck, lying upon it. 
Her brother is represented as a fair-haired child, clad in 
loose summer raiment, and carrying in his hand a branch 
with a few leaves upon it. These pictures were exquisitely 



246 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



painted in colors that retain their original vividness. Pine's 
scheme was never carried out. He died about four years 
after his visit at Mount Vernon. 

A few months after the departure of Pine, M, Houdon, a 
distinguished French portrait -sculptor, arrived at Mount 
Vernon and spent a fortnight there. He 
had been commissioned by the Common- 
wealth of Virginia to make a full-length, 
life-size statue of Washing- 
ton in proper costume. He 
made a plaster cast of the 
face only of the great pa- 
triot and hero, into which 
plastic clay was pressed, and 
formed a perfect model. To 
this the artist modelled the rest of the head, 
the neck, and the breast, creating a perfect 
copy of a bust. From this model a plaster cast of the bust 
was made, which Houdon took with him to France. The 
orio-inal clay bust he presented to Mrs. Washington, and it 
has remained at Mount Vernon until now. Only once be- 
fore had Washington submitted to the unpleasant operation 
of having a cast taken from his face.* It was never done 
afterwards, either during his life or after his death. 




ELIZABETH PAUKE 
CUSTIS. 




G. W. P. CUSTIS, AGED 
17 YEARS. 



* We have observed that Congress resolved to erect an equestrian 
statue of Washington. Joseph Wriglit, a young artist, who bore a letter 
of introduction to Washington from Dr. Franklin, arrived at head-quar- 
ters at Rocky Hill, and gained permission to paint a portrait of the gen- 
eral. He was also somewhat expert in taking plaster casts from the liv- 
ing face, and' some members of Congress being desirous of having a cast 
of that of Washington for the use of the sculptor in Europe who was to 



HOUDON AND MRS. GRAHAM. 247 

Houdon took exact measurements of Washington's per- 
son, and executed the statue of the finest Italian marble. It 
stands in the rotunda of the Virginia State-house, at Rich- 
mond. It is confessedly the best likeness of the face, per- 
son, and costume of Washington ever made. The modern 
dress instead of the antique was suggested to Houdon by 
Benjamin West, while the former was in London on his way 
to America. 

A most interesting guest at Mount Vernon in 1786 was 
Mrs. Catherine Macaulay Graham, who won the esteem and 
even affection of Mrs. Washington, because of her modest 
and beautiful character, and her earnest republicanism. 
She was an English literary lady, then well known in the 
realm of letters by her " History of England " and several 
political pamphlets. Her republican proclivities, strongly 
manifested in her writings, made her unpopular with the 
Tories and incurred their severe criticisms. Dr. Johnson 
boasted that he had grossly insulted her while on a visit at 
her house because she was a Whig ! Macaulay of our day 
wrote disparagingly of her history, while Horace Walpole 
placed her above Hume. President Washington wrote to 
her from New York in January, 1790, saying, 

" Mrs. Washington is well and desires her compliments 

make the bronze statue, persuaded the general to allow young Wright to 
make a cast of his face. Inexperienced, the artist made the operation a 
most disagreeable one, and Wright, anxious to relieve the sufferer, he 
hastily and in great trepidation removed the plaster as soon as it was 
sufficiently hardened. In so doing he let it fall upon the floor, when it 
was dashed in pieces. Washington refused to undergo the operation a 
second time. It was with reluctance that he consented to allow Hou- 
don to take a cast of his face. But he trusted the experience of Houdon. 



248 AtARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

may be presented to you. We wish you the happiness of 
your fireside, as we also long to enjoy that of our own at 
Mount Vernon. Our wishes, you know, were limited, and 
I think that our plan of living will now be deemed reason- 
able, by the considerate part of our species. Her wishes 
coincide with my own, as to simplicity of dress, and every- 
thing which combine to support propriety of character, 
without partaking of the follies of luxury and ostentation." 
Late in the summer of 1787 Mr. Vaughan, the London 
gentleman who sent the elegant chimney-piece to Mount 
Vernon, came to America, his chief errand being to visit 
Washington and his family in their retirement. He was dis- 
appointed, in part. He found Washington in Philadelphia, 
presiding over the conv^ention that formed the National Con- 
stitution. After many pleasant interviews, Washington in- 
vited Mr. Vaughan to go to Mount Vernon and visit Mrs. 
Washington. He did so, bearing a letter of introduction 
from her husband, who could not leave the convention. 
Mrs. Washington received the guest with great cordiality, 
and he remained at Mount Vernon several days, delighted 
with the mistress, the mansion, its situation, and its surround- 
ings. When he left in September he bore away with him a 
plan of the mansion and its grounds. Returning to Phila- 
delphia, he departed thence for home. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Lafayette, regarding Washington with profound rever- 
ence as a man, a soldier, a statesman, a hero, and a sage, 
and Mrs. Washington with scarcely less reverence as the 
ideal of a true woman, a charming matron, and an exemplar 
in every relation in life, earnestly desired that his friends 
who visited America should make a pilgrimage to Mount 
Vernon, and pay homage to the greatness and the virtues 
enshrined there. He gave to many friends letters of intro- 
duction to the Washington family. 

Among the distinguished guests at Mount Vernon intro- 
duced by the marquis were the Count de Moustier, the 
French minister (successor of Luzerne), his sister the Mar- 
chioness de Brienne, her son, and M. Dupont, who arrived 
there in the autumn of 1788, just after the accomplished 
Colonel Humphreys had become a member of the Washing- 
ton family. These guests had made quite an extensive jour- 
ney, having travelled from New Hampshire to Fort Schuyler, 
on the Mohawk River, where they were witnesses to an In- 
dian treaty conference, and thence through wild regions to 
Virginia. The count was a handsome and polite man. His 
sister the marchioness was a small woman, and somewhat 
eccentric in manners, a little past middle age, a writer of 
much excellence, and a skilful amateur artist. 'I'o her the 
family on the bank of the Potomac was a wonder and de- 
light. She could not at first comprehend the absence of 



250 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

pomp and ceremony and the absolute simplicity of the mode 
of their reception. She could not comprehend how so great 
a man and how so illustrious a wife could be permitted to 
live in such seclusion, and be happy 'in purely domestic pur- 
suits. The little negro children afforded her infinite amuse- 
ment, and the evident affection of the slaves for the master 
and mistress was an unfathomable enigma to her mind. The 
sight of this cultivated lady moving among her spinners — 
tidy, dusky-faced women — directing their labors and assidu- 
ous in her attention, at proper times, to household duties, 
and yet entertaining her guests cheerily, gave to the mar- 
chioness dreams of Arcadian simplicity and happiness, and 
she became enamoured, for the time, of republican institu- 
tions. 

The happy company remained at Mount Vernon three or 
four days, and then journeyed to New York. On a warm 
April evening the next year, at the close of the day when 
Washington was inaugurated the first President of the Unit- 
ed States, the city of New York was illuminated, and the 
marchioness honored the occasion by decorating with her 
own hands the front of her brother's house on Broadway, 
near the Bowling Green, with transparent paintings, sug- 
gestive of the past, the present, and the future of the Unit- 
ed States. She began there a portrait of Washington from 
memory, and in the autumn, having persuaded him to give 
her a sitting, she completed it. In his diary under date of 
October 3, 1790, he recorded : 

" Walked in the afternoon, and sat about two o'clock for 
Madame de Brehan [Brienne] to complete a miniature pro- 
file of me, which she had begun from memory, and which 
she made exceedingly like the original." 



BRISSOT DE WARVILLE. 2$! 

The marchioness also painted in medallion form, on cop- 
per, profiles of Washington and Lafayette together, both 
wearing civic crowns. This picture she presented to Mrs. 
Washington as a token of her friendship. It was at Arling- 
ton House in 1858. 

A fortnight after the departure of the French minister and 
his party, Brissot de Warville and M. St. Trie arrived at 
Mount Vernon, with letters of introduction from Lafayette. 
" De Warville," wrote the marquis, " is very clever, and 
wishes much to be presented to you. He intends to write 
a history of America, and is, of course, desirous to have a 
peep into your papers, which appears to me a deserved con- 
descension, as he is fond of America, writes pretty well, and 
will set matters in a proper light." 

De Warville was young, handsome, and full of enthusi- 
asm. He was an ardent republican, as he understood re- 
publicanism. He was so intensely democratic that on his 
return to P>ance he appeared on the streets of I^aris in the 
garb of a Philadelphia Quaker. In the revolution that fol- 
lowed he became a leader of the Girondists in the represent- 
ative assembly, and who were called " Erissotins " in honor 
of him after his death. De Warville opposed the murder of 
the king, and this made him so obnoxious to Robespierre 
and his party that he was brought to the guillotine at the 
close of October, 1793. 

Of his visit at Mount Vernon De Warvjlle wrote with en- 
thusiasm. He was charmed with everything, particularly 
with Mrs. Washington. "Everything about the house has 
an air of simplicity," he wrote. " The table is good, but 
not ostentatious, and no deviation is seen from regularity 
and domestic economy. She superintends the whole, and 



252 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

joins to the qualities of an excellent housewife the simple 
•« dignity which ought to characterize a woman whose husband 
has acted the greatest part in the theatre of human affairs, 
while possessing that amiability and manifesting that atten- 
tion to strangers which make hospitality so charming." 

The foreign ofificers who served under Washington, and 
had been entertained in the camp or at Mount Vernon by 
Mrs. Washington, frequently manifested their admiration of 
this illustrious pair by tokens of various kinds. Lafayette 
and his wife never wearied of correspondence with them.* 

* Both Rochambeau ami Cliastelhix continued to correspond with the 
family at Mount Vernon for several years. In one of his letters, in the 
spring of 1788, Chastellux, who had lived a bachelor until he was fifty- 
four years of age, mentioned his "wife." Washington playfully re- 
sponded: "In reading your very friendly and acceptable letter which 
came to hand by the last mail, I was, as you may well suppose, not less 
delighted than surprised to meet the plain American words, 'my wife.' 
A wife ! Well, my dear Marquis, I can hardly refrain from smiling to 
find you are caught at last. I saw, by the eulogium you often made on 
the happiness of domestic life in America, that you had swallowed the 
bait, and that you would as surely be taken, one day or another, as that 
you wf'e a philosopher and a soldier. So your day has at length come. 
I am glad of it, with all my heart and soul. It is quite good enough 
for you. Now you are well served for coming to fight in favor of the 
American rebels, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, by catching that 
terrible contagion, domestic felicity, which, like the small-pox or the 
plague, a man can have only once in his life because it commonly lasts 
(at least with us in America ; I know not how you manage these matters 
in France) for his whole lifetime. And yet, after all, the worst wish 
which I can find in my heart to make against Madame de Chastellux 
and yourself, is that you may neither of you ever get the better of this 
same domestic felicity during the entire course of your mortal exist- 
ence." 



PRESENTS FROM FRANCE. 253 

The marchioness had learned to reverence tlie general with 
a feeling akin to devotion. He and her husband were 
brothers of the fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, 
and when Lafayette visited Mount Vernon in 1784, he bore 
to his friend, as a present from the marchioness, a masonic 
apron of white satin, the devices upon it beautifully wrought 
by her own hands. The marquis, as we have seen, sent him 
a i^ack of hounds on his return. A little later he presented 
to the general two powerful asses from Malta, a Jack and 
a Jenny. The former was named Knight of Malta, and be- 
came the progenitor of a famous race of mules on the 
Mount Vernon estate, some of them sixteen hands high. 

The French members of the " Society of the Cincinnati " 
presented to Washington an elegant Order, studded with 
about two hundred precious stones and costing $3000. 
The eagle and a group of military trophies above were cov- 
ered vvitli diamonds. The olive-leaves attached to the eagle 
were emeralds, the berries were rubies, and the beak of the 
eagle was an amethyst. Washington presented this order 
to the General Society. It is worn at the meetings by the 
President-general. Hon. Hamilton Fish, of New York, is 
now (1886) the incumbent of that office. 

With the costly Order came, as a present for Washington 
and his wife from the French officers, two, elegant dinner- 
sets of Sevres china, made specially for them. Each piece 
of the service sent to Washington was decorated with 
wreaths of leaves, scrolls, and the figure of soaring Fame 
sounding a trumpet and holding in one hand the Order of 
the Cincinnati. The service presented to Mrs. Washington 
was more delicate in colors than that sent to the general. 
Each piece bore the monogram of Martha Washington — 



254 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 




MRS. WASHINGTON S SEVRES CHINA. 



M. W. — enclosed in a beautiful wreath of green leaves of the 
olive and the laurel. Beneath this was a floating ribbon 
bearing the words, in delicately traced letters, Deciis et tiita- 
incn abillo. From the wreath shot out rays of gold, which 
gave a brilliant appearance to the whole. Around the out- 
side of each cup and cov- 
ered dish, and the inside 
of each plate, saucer, and 
open vessel, painted in del- 
icate colors, was delineated 
a chain of thirteen large 
and thirteen small links, 
elliptical in form. Within 
each large link was the 
name of one of the States of the American Republic. Some 
pieces of this and the "Cincinnati china" were preserved 
at Arlington House before the late Civil War. 

We have observed that the nation turned to Washington 
for counsel and action when the wisest of his fellow-citizens 
as well as himself clearly perceived the perils that menaced 
the inchoate Republic under the operations of the Articles 
of Confederation. It was finally determined that the fram- 
ing of a new plan of government was essentially necessary 
to the salvation of the liberties and independence which 
the people had won during a dreadful struggle. A conven- 
tion of delegates from the several States was called to meet 
in Philadelphia in May, 1787. Washington had solemnly 
declared, on his retirement from the army, that he would 
never appear in public life again.* He tendered his coun- 



* In the spring of 1788 Washington accepted from the trustees of 



THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. 255 

sel and his pen freely to the important movement, but for a 
long time he refused his consent to appear as a delegate in 
the convention. He was entreated by letters and in person- 
al interviews by leading men everywhere to come to the 
rescue. The clouds of danger were thickly gathering in 
the political firmament, and muttering thunder was audible. 
Mrs. Washington, whose heart was as sensitive as his to the 
impulses of patriotism, not only consented to his going forth 
to conflict for his country again, but urged him to do so. 
His own judgment and conscience bade him gird on his ar- 
mor, and, as usual, he yielded private considerations to the 
public good. He was chosen a representative of Virginia 
in the convention which he had recommended. He depart- 
ed for Philadelphia in his carriage on the 9th of May, and 
on the 14th was chosen president of the august body which 
framed our National Constitution. He served in that ca- 
pacity with dignity nearly four months. 

The result of the labors of this Constitutional Convention 
was not exactly in accordance with his desires. He had 
misgivings concerning the new constitution, but yielded a 
cheerful acquiescence in the will of the majority. To La- 
fayette he wrote from Philadelphia at the close of the con- 
vention concerning the instrument which had been adopted : 

"It is the result of four months' deliberation. It is now 
a child of fortune, to be fostered by some and buffeted by 
others. What will be the general opinion or the reception 



William and Mary College, Virginia, the chancellorship of the institu- 
tion. It was little more than an honorary position, as not even his per- 
sonal attendance at any time was necessary. He was the Maecenas, or 
patron of the college. 



256 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

of it is not for me to decide ; nor shall I say anything for 
or against it. If it be good, I suppose it will work its way ; 
if bad, it will recoil on the framers." 

In due time this constitution was ratified by conventions 
of the people in the requisite number of States. Then fol- 
lowed spontaneous expressions of an universal desire that 
Washington should be chosen the chief-magistrate of the 
Republic, which had now for the first time assumed the dig- 
nity of a nation in fact. In the autumn of 1788 the suf- 
frages of the people were given to him in the choice of 
electors, and he was chosen President by the unanimous 
voice of the Electoral College in the spring of 1789. There 
had been such delay in the assembling of Congress that a 
quorum was not present at New York, the temporary seat of 
the National Government, until early in April, to hear the 
report of the electors. So reluctantly did Washington ac- 
cept the office that the delay was a source of pleasure to 
him. To General Knox he wrote : 

" For myself, the delay may be compared to a reprieve ; 
for in confidence I tell you (with the world it would obtain 
little credit) that my movement to the chair of government 
will be accompanied by feelings not unlike that of a culprit, 
who is going to the place of execution ; so unwilling am I, 
on the evening of a life nearly consumed in public cares, to 
quit a peaceful abode for an ocean of difficulties, without 
that comforting of political skill, abilities, and inclination, 
which are necessary to manage the helm. I am sensible 
that I am embarking the voice of the people, and a good 
name of my own, on this voyage ; but what returns will be 
made for them. Heaven alone can foretell. Integrity and 
firmness are all I can promise. These, be the voyage long 



SECRETARY THOMSON AT MOUNT VERNON. 257 

or short, shall never forsake me, although I may be deserted 
by all men." 

On Tuesday morning, April 14th, between ten and eleven 
o'clock, a visitor arrived at Mount Vernon charged with an 
errand more important and momentous than that of any 
who had passed the threshold of that hospitable mansion. 
He was received by Mrs. Washington with her usual cheer- 
ful and cordial welcome, for she had enjoyed his friend- 
ship and hospitality in Philadelphia. He bore tidings 
which to most people would have been joyful and exhilarat- 
ing, but to the general and his wife were of the most pain- 
ful nature. He bore a summons for them to abandon the 
sweets of private life and felicities of domestic enjoyment 
in their quiet rural home, which they both so much loved, 
and to endure for an indefinite time the cares and excite- 
ments of public life in the most exalted station in the gift 
of a free people. This summons was not unexpected, and 
therefore was not surprising. 

The messenger was the venerable Charles Thomson, the 
secretary of the Continental Congress. He was the bearer 
of the official certificate of Washington's election to the 
presidency of the United States, and a letter from the Pres- 
ident/;'^ tempore of the Senate, John Langdon. 

Washington was absent on the usual tour of his farms, 
and did not return until dinner-time. He warmly greeted 
his true and constant friend, and the two lingered long at 
table after Mrs. Washington and the family and one or two 
guests had retired. 

Washington made arrangements immediately for a jour- 
ney to New York. He rode to Fredericksburg to bid his 
invalid mother farewell, as we have observed on page 67, 

17 



258 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

and on the morning of the i6th he left his home, to which 
he did not return again, excepting at intervals, for the space 
of eight years, leaving Mrs. Washington to follow him soon. 
He was accompanied on the journey by Secretary Thomson, 
Colonel Humphreys, and his faithful body-servant, Billy. 

The travellers were met at the lodge at the entrance gate 
to the Mount Vernon estate, about a mile from the man- 
sion, by a cavalcade of gentlemen from Alexandria, who es- 
corted them to that city, where they partook of a public din- 
ner, the first of a series of ova,tions that awaited Washington 
on his journey. That night he wrote in his diary : 

" About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, to 
private life, and to domestic felicity, and with a mind op- 
pressed with more anxious and painful sensations than I 
have words to express, set out for New York, in company 
with Mr. Thomson and Colonel Humphreys, with the best 
disposition to render service to my country in obedience 
to its call, but with less hope of answering its expecta- 
tions." 

At Georgetown, where Washington passed the night, he 
was very warmly greeted. At Baltimore, the next night, he 
was entertained at a public supper. On his departure in 
the morning he was saluted by discharges of cannon, and 
escorted seven miles by a cavalcade of leading citizens. 
On the frontier of Pennsylvania he was met by a troop of 
cavalry and many gentlemen on horseback, among them 
General Mifflin, governor of the State. At the Schuyl- 
kill ferry he passed under triumphal arches on each side 
of the river, where he was met by thousands of the citizens 
of Philadelphia, who escorted him into the city, where he 
was entertained by the municipal authorities. He rode on 



INAUGURATION OF WASHINGTON. 259 

to Trenton, where, at the little bridge over which he had 
been driven by Cornwallis about twelve years before, he 
passed under a beautiful triumphal arch, the work of ladies 
of New Jersey. His way there was strewn with flowers by 
thirteen young maidens, who chanted a song of welcome. 
At Elizabethtown Point he was met by a committee of each 
House of Congress, and was conveyed to New York in a 
magnificent barge (which was presented to him), manned by 
thirteen pilots, where he was received with great joy by the 
civil authorities and a multitude of citizens, and conducted 
by a military escort to a mansion prepared for him.* 

On Thursday, the 30th of April, Washington was inaugu- 
rated the first president of the Republic under the National 
Constitution. The ceremony took place in the open gallery 
of " Federal Hall," on Wall Street, in the presence of a 
great multitude of citizens and strangers. The President 
was dressed in a suit of dark brown cloth and white silk 
stockings, all of American manufacture. The oath of office 
was administered to him by Chancellor Livingston, when the 
President said, "I swear," and lifting an open Bible t lying 
on a crimson cushion before him, he said, in a firm voice, 
" So help me, God !" Then the chancellor, turning to the 
people, said, " It is done !" and shouted with a loud voice, 



* A more particular account of this journey of Washington may be 
found in " Mount Vernon and its Associations ; the Home of Washing- 
ton," pp. 206-214. 

•j- This Bible belonged to St. John's Lodge of Free and Accepted 
Masons. Chancellor Livingston was then Grand Master of the order. 
It is preserved as a most precious treasure by the lodge, and contains a 
notice of the momentous event above recorded, together with a portrait 
of Washington engraved by Leney. 



26o MARTHA, THE WIFE Of WASHINGTON. 

which was echoed by the people, " Long live George Wash- 
ington, President of the United States !" 

Arrangements had been made for an inauguration ball, 
but as Mrs. Washington did not accompany her husband 
the design was abandoned. A week later, however, a splen- 
did ball was given at the "Assembly Rooms," on Broadway 
just above Wall Street, which was attended by the President 
and Vice-president (John Adams), a majority of both Houses 
of Congress, the ministers of France and Spain, generals 
and distinguished civilians, with wives, daughters, and sis- 
ters. "The collection of ladies," wrote a contemporary, 
"was numerous and brilliant, and they were dressed in con- 
summate taste and elegance." 

" Among the most distinguished women at this ball," says 
Griswold, in his " Republican Court," " were Lady Stirling 
and her two daughters. Lady Mary Watts and Lady Kitty 
Duer ; Mrs. P. Vanbrugh Livingston, who was a sister of 
the late Lord Stirling; Mrs. Montgomery, widow of the 
hero of Quebec ; Lady Christina Griffin, Lady Temple, the 
Marchioness de Brienne, Madame de la Forest, Mrs. Clin- 
ton, Mrs. Jay, Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Provoost, wife of Bishop 
Provoost ; Mrs. Duane, wife of the mayor ; Mrs. Senator 
Dalton, Mrs. Senator Langdon, Mrs. Dominick Lynch, Mrs. 
Elbridge Gerry, Mrs. William S. Smith, Mrs. James H. Max- 
well, Mrs. Beekman, Mrs. Robinson, the Misses Livingston, 
the Misses Bayard, and Mrs. Van Zandt. The President 
danced during the evening in the cotillion with Mrs. P. V. 
Livingston and Mrs. Maxwell, and with the latter in a min- 
uet. He had repeatedly danced with Mrs, Maxwell (then 
Miss Van Zandt) while the head-quarters of the army were 
at Morristown," Every woman who attended the ball was 



COSTUMES AT THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL BALL. 26 1 

surprised by the present of a fan, prepared in Paris, with 
ivory frame, which, when opened, displayed a medallion 
likeness of Washington in profile. 

The late Col. W. L. Stone described some of the cos- 
tumes at this ball. He said, " Few jewels were then worn 
in the United States." He described one of the costumes 
as follows : " A plain, celestial blue satin gown with a white 
satin petticoat. On the neck was worn a very large Italian 
gauze handkerchief, with border stripes of satin. The head- 
dress was a pouf of gauze in the form of a globe, the cre- 
neaux or head-piece of which was composed of white satin, 
having a double wing, in large plaits, and trimmed with a 
wreath of artificial roses falling from the left at the top to 
the right at the bottom, in front, and the reverse behind. 
The hair was dressed all over in detached curls, four of 
which, in two ranks, fell on each side of the neck, and were 
relieved behind by a floating chignon. Another beautiful 
dress was a perriot, made of gray India taffeta, with dark 
stripes of the same color — having two collars, the one yel- 
low, and the other white, both trimmed with a blue silk 
fringe, and a reverse trimmed in the same manner. Under 
the perriot they wore a yellow corset or bodice, with large 
stripes of blue. Some of the ladies wore Spanish hats of 
white satin, with a plume." 

Mr. Jefferson gave in his " Ana," as illustrative of the 
" frenzy which prevailed in New York on the opening of the 
new government," an account of this ball, on the authority 
of "Mr. Brown." He wrote: "At the first public ball 
which took place after the President's arrival there, Colonel 
Humphreys, Col. W. S. Smith, and Mrs. Knox were to ar- 
range the ceremonials. These arrangements were as fol- 



262 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

lows : A sofa at the head of the room, raised on several 
steps, whereon the President and Mrs. Washington were to 
be seated ; the gentlemen were to dance with swords ; each 
one, when going to dance, was to lead his partner to the 
foot of the sofa, make a low obeisance to the President and 
his lady, then go and dance, and when done, bring his part- 
ner back to the sofa, for new obeisances, and finally retire 
to their chairs. . . . Mrs. Knox contrived to come with the 
President, and to follow him and Mrs. Washington to their 
destination, and she had the design of forcing from the 
President an invitation to a seat on the sofa. She mounted 
up the steps after them, unbidden, but unfortunately the 
wicked sofa was so short that, when the President and Mrs. 
Washington were seated, there was no room for a third 
person, and she was obliged, therefore, to descend, in the 
face of the company, and to sit where she could." 

This whole story was a fiction. Mrs. Washington did 
not arrive in New York until a fortnight after the ball, and 
Mrs. Knox was not present, for at that time she was in a 
situation which prevented her appearance in society. Yet 
this and other absurd stories concerning the etiquette of 
the republican court have been incorporated in history. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The house provided for the residence of the President 
at New York was at No. lo Cherry Street, near Franklin 
Square. It belonged to Mr. Osgood of the Treasury Board, 
and had been occupied by presidents of the Continental 
Congress during its sessions in New York.* The mansion 
was quite elegant and spacious for the time, and was in a 
very respectable, though not in the most fashionable, quarter 
of the city, which was then in Wall and Broad streets. It 
was regarded as "up-town." The situation was pleasant, 
for in front of it flowed the broad East River, beyond which 
were the little village of Brooklyn and the green forests of 
Long Island. 

Mrs. Washington did not join her husband until nearly a 
month after his inauguration. She lingered at her beloved 
home on the Potomac as long as possible, reluctant to leave 
her family, her friends, and the delicious enjoyments of quiet 
domestic life. She was then fifty-seven years of age, and 
still retained many traces of the beauty of her early life, 
with all its cheerfulness and sweetness. 

But Mrs. Washington's inclinations yielded to duty, as 
usual, and very early on the morning of the 19th of May 

* This house was built by Walter Franklin, one of the wealthiest mer- 
chants in New York. Mr. Osgood married his widow. 



264 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



she departed from Mount Vernon in her chaise, drawn by 
four horses, and accompanied by a small escort on horse- 
back. In her carriage were her two grandchildren (the 
foster-children of her husband), Eleanor Parke Custis and 
George Washington Parke Custis, and a maid. She was 
clothed, like her husband at his inauguration, in cloth of 
American manufacture. She was warmly greeted by friends 
at Alexandria and Georgetown, but she tarried not, except 
to dine, until she reached Baltimore the same evening. 




president's house in cherry street, near franklin square, new YORK. 



An express had heralded her approach, and a number of 
gentlemen rode out to Hammond's Ferry on horseback to 
meet her and escort her into the city, where she was received 
with many tokens of the most profound respect and affec- 
tion. During supper at the best inn in the city (at which 
several ladies and gentlemen sat with her) she was serenad- 
ed by a band of amateur musicians composed of respectable 
young men. Afterwards some brilliant fireworks were dis- 
played in her honor. 



MRS. WASHINGTON EN ROUTE TO NEW YORK. 265 

An express was sent to Philadelphia to announce the 
coming of Mrs. Washington. It was ascertained that she 
would breakfast at Chester on the morning of the 22d. 
Two troops of dragoons and a numerous cavalcade of gen- 
tlemen rode out from the city at an early hour, and at a 
place ten miles distant they awaited her coming. Among the 
gentlemen were Governor Mifflin and suite, and the speaker 
of the General Assembly. On her appearance the military 
formed in two open columns and received her with the honor 
due to the commander-in-chief. Many of the troops were 
veterans of the late war, and as Mrs. Washington in her car- 
riage passed through the flanking columns, they all looked 
upon her with the most tender emotion, their eyes brimming 
with tears. Some of them had felt her, loving kindness to 
them when sick in camp, and in most pathetic undertones 
they said as she passed by, "God bless Lady Washington." 

At the pleasant little village of Darby, seven miles from 
Philadelphia, Mrs. Washington was met by a brilliant com- 
pany of women in carriages. These in grand procession 
accompanied her to the famous inn at Gray's Ferry, on the 
Schuylkill, a pleasant and fashionable resort for the young 
and gay people of Philadelphia. Thither they went in sum- 
mer, singly and in parties, to enjoy the cool and shady re- 
treat, and in winter in sleighing parties, to dine and some- 
times to pass the night in the pleasure of the dance. There 
the distinguished travellers partook of a collation with fully 
one hundred ladies and gentlemen. 

At the ferry Mrs. Washington was met and warmly em- 
braced by her friend Mrs. Robert Morris, wife of the great 
financier of the revolution, who had come out from the city to 
greet the distinguished lady who was to be her guest while 



266 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

she remained in Philadelphia. The two friends took seats 
together in Mrs. Washington's chaise, Mrs. Morris resigning 
her place in her own carriage to young Custis, a boy about 
eight years of age. 

From the ferry to the city the scene was like that which 
marks the return of a victorious general. The way was 
fringed with thousands of men, women, and children, who 
rent the air with prolonged huzzas. Thirteen discharges 
from a park of artillery had announced Mrs.. Washington's 
arrival, and set the quiet city astir. At High Street the 
procession halted, when Mrs. Washington, rising in her car- 
riage, thanked the troops and citizens in a few gracious 
words, and then took leave of her escort. The joyous mul- 
titude were soon dispersed to their homes and occupations. 
The wearied travellers were vouchsafed a night of uninter- 
rupted repose ; but on the following day the spacious draw- 
ing-room of Mrs. Morris was crowded for hours with distin- 
guished men and women, who came to tender the homage 
of their profound respect for her guest. Mrs. Washington's 
reception at this time was in marked contrast with that 
which she experienced while tarrying a few days in Phila- 
delphia in 1775, when on her way to Cambridge.* 

On the morning after this reception, Mrs. Washington, ac- 
companied by Mrs. Morris, in her own carriage, left Phila- 
delphia for New York. Troops had paraded early, preparing 
to escort them as far as Trenton. Ominous clouds were 
gathering when they reached Frankford, five miles from 
Philadelphia, and rain began to fall, when Mrs. Washington 
kindly requested the troops to go no farther. They took a 

* See page 138. 



ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK. 267 

respectful leave of her and her company and returned. The 
travellers lodged at Trenton that night, and the next day 
rode to Elizabethtown, where the whole party became the 
guests of the venerable Governor Livingston, at " Liberty 
Hall," his seat, not far from the village. There they met 
his daughter, the beautiful Mrs. Jay, a matron of thirty-three, 
and then the central figure of the best society in New York. 

On leaving the hospitable " Hall " on Wednesday morn- 
ing, the 28th, Mrs. Washington and her company rode to 
Elizabethtown Point, only a short distance, where they were 
met by the President, Mr. Morris, and other distinguished 
gentlemen, who had left the city at five o'clock that morn- 
ing. They had come in the President's magnificent barge, 
manned, as when he was conveyed in it to New York a few 
weeks before, by thirteen pilots in handsome white garments. 
The travellers took seats in the barge, and they were con- 
veyed swiftly to New York. As the beautiful vessel was 
seen coming up the bay, a throng of citizens gathered at the 
landing-place to welcome the wife of the President to the 
now metropolitan city. As the barge and its precious bur- 
den approached the Battery, it was saluted by the discharge 
of thirteen heavy guns, and as the distinguished passengers 
landed, the multitude greeted them with prolonged cheering, 
some shouting " Long live President Washington ! God 
bless Lady Washington !" The President and his wife en- 
tered a carriage and were driven to the mansion in Cherry 
Street. 

Mrs. Washington had sent from Mount Vernon, by sea, 
for the purpose of adorning the presidential mansion, many 
articles of taste and luxury which European friends had pre- 
sented to her husband and herself. Among these were pict- 



268 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ures, vases, and other ornaments.* Washington had taken 
with him to New York the family plate, which he caused to 
be made over into a tea-service more elegant in form and 
massive in structure. This service Mrs. Washington always 
used at her private tea-parties while she was in New York 
and Philadelphia. Each piece bore an engraving of the 
arms of the Washington family. The massive salver was 
twenty-two and a half inches long and seventeen and a half 
inches wide, and was oval in shape. This service composed 
a portion of the Washington treasures at Arlington House 
before the late Civil War. 

On the day after the arrival of Mrs. Washington she and 
her husband entertained at dinner without ceremony a few 
distinguished gentlemen. These were Vice-president Ad- 
ams, Governor Clinton, the French and Spanish ministers 
(the Count de Moustier and Don Diego Gardoqui), Mr. Jay, 
General St. Clair, Senators Langdon, Wingate, Izard, and 
Few, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. 
Muhlenberg. It was a plain family dinner. Washington, 
standing at the head of the table, asked a blessing in a few 
words.t After the dessert a single glass of wine was offered 

* The pictures were chiefly engravings. Among them was a large 
engraved portrait of Louis XVI., full length, standing by his throne in 
his state robes. It was a present from the king to the patriot. It was 
inclosed in a superb gilt frame. At the top of the frame, surrounded by 
appropriate emblems, were the royal arms of France, beautifully carved 
in high-relief, and at the bottom the arms of the United States. In each 
corner of the frame were monograms of Louis and Washington. 

f This was Washington's habit on all occasions. Several years ago I 
visited two venerable ladies — twin sisters — over ninety years of age, at 
the village of Croton-on-the-Hudson. They remembered Washington 
stopping at their house one day, and asking their mother for some food. 



WELCOMED TO THE CITY. — HER RECEPTIONS. 269 

to each of the guests, and when it was drunk the President 
arose and went to the drawing-room, followed by the guests, 
when each one departed as he chose, without the least cere- 
mony. This simplicity of private entertainment, though not 
quite so severe, was continued during Washington's admin- 
istration of eight years. 

On the same day (in the morning) many of the principal 
women of the city made formal calls upon Mrs. Washington 
and welcomed her to their society. Among them were Mrs. 
Governor Clinton, Mrs. General Montgomery, Lady Stirling, 
Lady Kitty Duer, Lady Mary Watts, Lady Temple (wife of 
the British Consul), Lady Christina Griffin, the Marchioness 
de Brienne, Madame de la Forest, Mrs. John Langdon, Mrs. 
Tristram Dalton, Mrs. General Knox, Mrs. P. V. Livingston, 
Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. Elbridge Gerry, Mrs. McComb, Mrs. 
Edgar, Mrs. Lynch, Mrs. Houston, Mrs. Bishop Provoost, 
Mrs. Beekman, the Misses Bayard, and many others.* 

Two days after her arrival (Friday) Mrs. Washington held 
her first formal reception. These " drawing-rooms " or levees y 
were continued ever afterwards on Friday evenings of each 
week, from eight to nine o'clock. They were numerously at- 
tended by all the most fashionable, elegant, and refined in 
society. Mrs. Washington, though averse to all ostentatious 
show and parade, " proud of her husband's exalted fame and 
jealous of the honors due," wrote Colonel Stone, " not only to 
his own lofty character, but to the dignified station to which 

She had nothing in the house but some cold ham and bread and butter, 
with cold water, which she set before him on a little deal table. Before 
partaking, Washington stood alone, and closing his eyes offered a few 
words of thanksgiving for the food set before him. 
* Griswold's " Republican Court," p. 164. 



270 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

a grateful country had called him, was careful in her draw- 
ing-rooms to exact those courtesies to which she knew he 
was entitled, as well on account of personal merit as of offi- 
cial consideration. . . . The charms of social intercourse 
were then heightened by a reasonable attention, in the best 
circles, to those forms and usages which indicate the well- 
bred assemblage, and fling around it an air of elegance and 
grace which the envious only affect to decry and the innate- 
ly vulgar only ridicule and contemn. None, therefore, were 
admitted to the levees but those who had cither a right by 
official station to be there, or were entitled to the privilege 
by established merit and character ; and full dress was re- 
quired of all." 

At these and the President's receptions " there were no 
places," wrote Colonel Stone, " for the intrusion of the rab- 
ble in crowds, or for the mere coarse and boisterous partisan 
— the vulgar electioneerer or the impudent place-hunter — 
with boots and frock-coats or roundabouts, or with patched 
knees and holes at both elbows. On the contrary, they 
were select and more courtly than have been given by any 
of his [Washington's] successors." 

At Mrs. Washington's receptions the President usually 
stood by the right side of his wife for a while, and they re- 
ceived the visitors together as they were severally present- 
ed. When these were assembled Washington moved among 
them as a private gentleman, conversing with one and an- 
other with as much familiarity as he would have done in his 
own drawing-room at Mount Vernon, On these occasions, 
while in New York, he wore a suit of brown cloth with 
bright buttons, and had neither hat nor sword, as at his own 
receptions. The ladies were all seated, and as the Presi- 



THE PRESIDENTS RECEPTIONS. 27 1 

dent passed around he paid his compliments to each. On 
these occasions Mrs. Morris, if present, always sat on the 
right of Mrs. Washington. 

At the beginning of these ceremonials at New York, Mrs. 
Washington would not allow them to interfere with some of 
the life-long habits of herself and husband. The reception 
was never allowed to extend beyond the appointed time. 
When the clock in the hall struck nine she would say to 
those present, with a sweet, complacent smile, " The general 
always retires at nine o'clock, and I usually precede him." 
In a few minutes the drawing-room would be closed, the 
lights would be extinguished, and the presidential mansion 
would be as dark and quiet before ten o'clock as the house 
of any private citizen. After the Government was removed 
to Philadelphia the next year, the time for the termination 
of these receptions was somewhat extended. Mrs. Washing- 
ton's receptions were given on Friday aftciiiTJons. «l^K->' < t*y 

The President held his levees or receptions on Tuesday 
afternoons, from three to four o'clock. These were numer- 
ously attended, but by gentlemen only. 'I"he President, as 
we have observed, wore a suit of brown cloth at these recep- 
tions while in New York, but in Philadelphia he was always 
dressed on these occasions in a suit of black velvet, black 
silk stockings, silver knee and shoe buckles, and having his 
hair powdered, and tied with a silk bag or queue behind. 
He wore yellow gloves, and held a cocked hat in his hand 
with a cockade upon it, and adorned with a black feather 
about an inch deep. He also wore an elegant dress-sword, 
the scabbard of which was of white polished leather. The 
coat was worn over the sword, the point only of the scab- 
bard appearing below the skirt. 



272 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

At his receptions in Philadelphia the President " always 
stood," wrote an eye-witness, " in front of the fireplace, with 
his face towards the door of entrance. The visitor was con- 
ducted to him, and he required the name to be so distinctly 
pronounced that he could hear it. He had the very uncom- 
mon faculty of associating a man's name and personal ap- 
pearance so durably in his memory as to be able to call any 
one by name who made him a second visit. He received 
his visitor with a dignified bow, while his hands were so dis- 
posed as to indicate that the salutation was not to be ac- 
companied with shaking hands, even with the most intimate 
friends, that no distinction might be made. As visitors 
came in they formed a circle around the room. At a quar- 
ter past three the door was closed and the circle was formed 
for that day. He then began on the right and spoke to 
each visitor, calling him by name, and exchanging a few 
words with him. When he had completed the circuit he re- 
sumed his first position, when the visitors approached him 
in succession, bowed, and retired. By four o'clock this cer- 
emony was over." 

During the sessions of Congress there was a Congres- 
sional dinner at the presidential mansion every Thursday. 
On these occasions the servants all wore the family liveries. 
At all dinners given by Washington, public or private, when 
Robert Morris was present he always occupied a seat at the 
right of Mrs. Washington. 

It was customary when ladies called on Mrs. Washington 
for the private secretary of the President, or other gentle- 
man of the household, to hand them from and to their car- 
riages. The President made it an invariable rule, while in 
New York, to perform these complimentary duties himself 



SELECTION OF A TITLE FOR THE PRESIDENT. 273 

whenever the widows of Generals Montgomery and Greene 
called. 

Before the inauguration of Washington, the subject of a 
title for the President occupied the attention of Congress. 
Each House appointed a committee (April 23, 1789) "to 
consider and report what style or title it will be proper to 
annex to the office of the President of the United States." 
The joint committee could not agree. That of the House 
reported against any title ; that of the Senate proposed, 
His Highiess, the President of the United States of America, 
and Protector of their Liberties. Meanwhile the public out- 
side of Congress took up the matter and freely discussed it. 
Some of the newspapers adopted a part of the title pro- 
posed by the Senate, and applied the title of Most Hojior- 
able to Senators. Also the title of High Mightiness, which 
was given to the supreme ruler of Holland. A newspaper 
announcing the arrival of Mrs. Washington at New York 
said she was accompanied by the '■^ Lady of the Most Hojior- 
able Robert Morris.''' General Muhlenberg said Washington 
thought well of the title High Mightiness. Dining with the 
President one day, the latter, speaking about the resolution 
before the two Houses, which had been referred to him, said 
to Muhlenberg, in his usual dignified manner, "Well, gen- 
eral, what do you think of the title of High Mightiness ?'' 
I Muhlenberg answered, laughing, " Why, general, if we 
were certain that the office would always be held by men as 
large as yourself or my friend Wynkoop [a large gentleman 
from Pennsylvania sitting at the table] it would be appro- 
priate enough, but if by chance a president as small as my 
opposite neighbor should be elected, it would become ridic- 
ulous." 



2 74 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

There appears to be sufficient evidence to prove that 
Washington rather preferred to be addressed simply as Pres- 
ident of the United States, as he had been by the House of 
Representatives in their response to his inaugural speech. 

The subject of Presidential etiquette was a matter for 
serious consideration. There was no suitable precedent. 
It was desirable to combine in it republican simplicity and 
proper official dignity. To Colonel Humphreys, who had 
seen some court etiquette abroad, was referred the matter 
for arrangement, but he was unequal to the task. He pro- 
posed too much ceremony, and the President and Mrs. 
Washington, assisted by hints from Colonel Hamilton, with 
their usual application of common -sense, performed that 
task for themselves. Simple as was the system which they 
adopted, glimpses of which I have just given, it was assailed 
with vehemence by ultra-republicans who formed the leaders 
of the party opposed to the Constitution, as " aping royalty" 
and other offensive epithets. To his friend. Dr. Stuart, who 
had informed him of some harsh criticism in Virginia re- 
specting his course,* Washington wrote : 

* Dr. Stuart said in his letter that Patrick Henry, who had opposed 
the adoption of the National Constitution, declined to accept the nomi- 
nation for a seat in the National Senate because, he said, he was " too 
old to fall into those awkward imitations which are now become so 
fashionable." " From this expression," wrote Stuart, " I suspect the 
old patriot has heard some extraordinary representations of the etiquette 
established at your levees." Alluding to a person who had made ex- 
travagant representations concerning them, he said, " I am informed by 
good authority that he represented that there was more pomp used there 
than at St. James's, where he had been, and that your bows were more 
distant and stiff. This happened at the governor's table in Richmond." 

Even Jefferson in his "Ana" wrote: " When the President went to 



PRESIDENTIAL ETIQUETTE. 275 

" Before the custom was established [receiving visits at 
stated times], which now accommodates foreign characters, 
strangers, and others, who, from motives of curiosity, respect 
to the Chief Magistrate, or any other cause, are induced to 
call on me, I was unable to attend to any business whatso- 
ever; for gentlemen, consulting their own convenience rath- 
er than mine, were calling from the time I rose from break- 
fast, often before, until I sat down to dinner. This, as I 
resolved not to neglect my public duties, reduced me to one 
of these alternatives, either to refuse them altogether, or to 
appropriate a time for the reception of them. The former 
would, I well knew, be disgusting to many; the latter I ex- 
pected would undergo animadversion and blaming from those 
who would find fault with or without cause. To please every- 
body was impossible. I therefore adopted that line of conduct 
which combined public advantage with private convenience, 
and which, in my judgment, was unexceptionable in itself." 

Referring to the visits, he said, " They are optional. They 
are made without invitation. Between the hours of three 

New York, he resisted, for three weeks, the effort to introduce levees. 
At length he yielded, and left it to Humphreys and some others to settle 
forms. Accordingly an antechamber and presence-room were provided, 
and when those who were to pay their court were assembled, the Presi- 
dent set out, preceded by Humphreys. After passing through the ante- 
chamber, the door of the inner room was thrown open, and Humphreys 
entered first, calling out with a loud voice, ' The President of the United 
States !' The President was so much disconcerted by it that he did not 
recover in the whole time of the levee ; and when the company was gone 
he said to Plumphreys, ' Well, you have taken me in once, but, by God, 
you shall never take me in a second time.' " 

The account given of these receptions in the text shows how abso- 
lutely erroneous are Mr. Jefferson's observations. 



276 MARTHA, THE WIKK OK WASHINCTON. 

and four every Tuesday I am prepared to receive them. 
Gentlemen, often in great numbers, come and go, chat with 
each other, and act as they please. A porter shows them 
into the room, and they retire from it when they please, and 
without ceremony. At their fust entrance they salute me, 
and I them, and as many as I can talk to I do. What pomp 
there is in all this 1 am unable to discover. Perhaps it con- 
sists in not sitting. To this two reasons are opposed; lirst, 
it is unusual ; secondly, which is a more substantial one, be- 
cause J have no room large enough to contain a third of the 
chairs which would be sutiicient to admit it. . . . Similar to 
the above, but of a more sociable kind, are the visits every 
Friday afternoon to Mrs. Wasiiington, whore I always am."* 
These public meetings, and a dinner once a week to as 
many as their table would hold, constituted the "pomp" of 
the Republican court. " 1 can truly say," wrote Washing- 
ton in the same letter, " I had rather be at Mount Vernon 
with a friend or two about me, than to be attended at the 
seat of government by the oflicers of State and the repre- 
sentatives of every power in Europe." 

* Among other things (Iclciinined upon was a method for relieving 
the President of the cliaraeter of a private citizen, wliicli lias been ob- 
served until liic present time. It was detenniued thai he should not 
return any visits. This rule was strictly adlicrcd to. In his diary he 
wrote: " Reeeived an invitation to attend tlie funeral of Mrs. Roose- 
velt, the wife of a senator of this State [New York], but declined com- 
plying with it — first, because the jiropriety of accepting any invitation of 
this sort api)eared very ([ueslionable, and secondly (though to do it in ' 
this instance might not be impro])er), because it might be dilVicult to dis- 
criminate in cases which might tliereafter iiappen." 

These restrictions did not apply to Mrs. W.ashington, yet her visits 
were very few, for she preferred the quiet of home life, though it was 
now intimately connected with public life. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Mrs. Wa,shin(;t(jn, as we have observed, like lier illustri- 
ous husband, left, the delightful home on the Potomac with 
the greatest reluctance. She endured the excitement, tur- 
moil, care, and restraints of public life as a sort of patriotic 
and dutiful martyrdom requiring much patience and forti- 
tude, and she looked forward to retirement from it with a 
sincere longing as a coveted blessing. She always spoke of 
the time when she was in New York and I'hiladelphia — 
"the first lady of the Republic" — as her "lost days." She 
was compelled to be governed by prescribed etiquette, and 
was very restive under the restraint. To the wife of the gen- 
eral's nephew, her niece, who was left in charge of domestic 
affairs at Mount Vernon, she wrote from New York : 

"Mrs. Sims will give you a better account of the fashions 
than I can. I live a very dull life here, and know nothing 
that passes in the town. I never go to any public place — 
indeed, I am more like a State prisoner than anything else. 
There are certain bounds set for me which I must not depart 
from, and as 1 cannot do as 1 like, I am obstinate and stay 
at home a great deal." 

From Mrs. Mercy Warren, with whom she had correspond- 
ed ever since she was in Cambridge, thirteen years before, 
Mrs. Washington received a letter expressing regret that 
she did not accompany her husband on his eastern tour in 



278 MARlllA, I'llK WIFl'; OF WASHINGTON. 

the autumn of 1789. Mrs. Washington's letter in reply, 
more than any other of hers known to be in e.xistence,* re- 



* The letters of Martha Washington which are still in existence are 
very few in ninnber. Before her ileath she destroyed the entire corre- 
spondence between herself and husbanil, and it is said that several years 
ago her letters written to her relatives, jiarticularly those addressed to 
lier mother and her brother and sister in New Kent, were also destroyed 
by those of her family who possessed them. In both these instances the 
motive for the destruction seems to have lieen the laiidubie one of pre- 
venting this private correspondence, in all its freedom and simplicity of 
expressions, being published to the \\t)rUt. " This," wrt)te the late G. 
W. P. Custis, her grandson," proves the tlepth and jnirity of her love for 
her husband. She would not permit that the confulence they had shared 
together should become public ; it would be desecrating their chaste 
loves, and, perhaps, some word or expression might be misinterpreted to 
his disadvantage." 

The authors of these letters have happily escaped the cruel ordeal to 
\\hich the domestic privacy of the lives of distinguished persons is often 
laid bare, to apjiease the morbid appetites of the hungry host of readers 
who delight to feast on such aliment. 

Many years ago, while seeking additional materials for the Life of 
General Schuyler, I calletl ujion Cieneral Van Rensselaer, at the Manor- 
house, in Albany, whose father, the " Patroon," was General Schuyler's 
executor. He took me to the office of the estate, and directed Mr. Lan- 
sing, his confidential clerk, to let me have whatever materials I might 
choose for my purpose. After the general retired, Mr. Lansing told me 
that it was doubtful if there was anything worth having among the 
Schuyler ]iapers, for they were wholly of a business nature. When the 
papers were brought to the otlice from the ALmor-house, Cicneral Van 
Rensselaer directed Mr. Lansing to examine them with great care, pre- 
serve all business papers and destroy the remainder, lie ilid so. He 
found a most valuable and interesting correspondence between General 
Schuyler, General Hamilton, and a large number of others, chiefly on 
political subjects, in which all parties indulged freely in remarks upon 



LKTTER TO MKKCY VVARKKN. 279 

veals the character of her understaiulitiij^, hcv heart, and Iier 
wisdom, its tenor is in consonance with tiie topic liere no- 
ticed. She wrote ; 

" Your very friendly letter, of last month, has afforded me 
much more satisfaction than all the formal compliments and 
empty ceremonies of mere etiquette could possibly have 
done. I am not apt to forget the feelings which have been 
inspired by my former society with good acquaintances, nor 
to be insensible to their expressions of gratitude to the 
President, for you know me well enough to do me the jus- 
tice to l^elieve that 1 am fond only of what comes from the 
heart. Under a conviction that the demonstrations of re- 
spect and affection to him originate in that source, I cannot 
deny that I have taken some interest and pleasure in them. 
The difficulties which presented themselves to view upon 
his first entering upon the Presidency seem thus to be, in 
some measure, surmounted. It is owing to the kindness of 
our numerous friends, in all quarters, that my new and un- 
wished-for situation is not, indeed, a burden to me. When 
I was much younger I should probably have enjoyed the in- 
nocent gaycties of life as much as most persons of my age ; 
but I had long since placed all the prospects of my future 
worldly happiness in the still enjcjyments of the fireside at 
Mount Vernon. 

" 1 little thought when the war was finisiied that any cir- 
cumstances could possibly happen which would call the 

llie cliaracler of various puljlic men of the time. It was to prevent this 
correspondence fiiidintj its way to the pui)lic, and so, perhaps, inflicting 
pain upon the living, that General Van Rensselaer ordered il to be 
burned. A vast amount of the secret political history of the Slate of 
New York was thus consigned to oblivion. 



28o MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

General into public life again. I had anticipated that, from 
that moment, we should be suffered to grow old together, in 
solitude and tranquillity. That was the first and dearest 
wish of my heart. I will not, however, contemplate with too 
much regret disappointments that were inevitable; though 
his feelings and my own were in perfect unison with respect 
to our predilections for private life, yet I cannot blame him 
for having acted according to his ideas of duty in obeying 
the voice of his country. The consciousness of having at- 
tempted to do all the good in his power, and the pleasure of 
finding his fellow-citizens so well satisfied with the disinter- 
estedness of his conduct, will doubtless be some compensa- 
tion for the great sacrifices which I know he has made. In- 
deed, on his journey from Mount Vernon to this place, on his 
late tour through the Eastern States, by every public and 
every private information which has come to him, I am per- 
suaded he has experienced nothing to make him repent his 
having acted from what he conceives to be a sense of indis- 
pensable duty. On the contrary, all his sensibility has been 
awakened on receiving such repeated and unequivocal proofs 
of sincere regard from his countrymen. 

"With respect to myself, I sometimes think the arrange- 
ment is not quite as it ought to have been, that I, who had 
much rather be at home, should occupy a place with which a 
great many younger and gayer women would be extremely 
pleased. As my grandchildren and domestic connections 
make up a great portion of the felicity which I looked for in 
this world, I shall hardly be able to find any substitute that 
will indemnify me for the loss of such endearing society. I 
do not say this because I feel dissatisfied with my present 
station, for everybody and everything conspire to make me 



SOCIETY IN NEW YORK. 281 

as content as possible in it; yet I have learned too much of 
the vanity of human affairs to expect felicity from the scenes 
of public life. I am still determined to be cheerful and hap- 
py in whatever situation I may be; for I have also learned 
from experience that the greater part of our happiness or 
misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circum- 
stances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about 
with us in our minds wherever we go. 

" I have two of my grandchildren with me, who enjoy ad- 
vantages, in point of education, and who, I trust, by the 
goodness of Providence, will be a great blessing to me. 
My other two grandchildren are with their mother in Vir- 
ginia." 

In her reply to this letter, in allusion to a passage in Mrs. 
Washington's epistle, Mrs. Warren wrote : " Your observa- 
tions may be true, that many younger and gayer ladies con- 
sider your situation as enviable ; yet I know not one who, 
by general consent, would be more likely to obtain the suf- 
frages of the sex, even were they to canvass at election for 
the elevated station, than the lady who now holds the first 
rank in the United States." 

New York at this time was noted for its charming society, 
intellectual and social. The leaders were found among 
those who held manorial estates — the Livingstons, the Beek- 
mans, the Van Rensselaers, the Van Cortlandts, the Phil- 
lipses, the De Lanceys, the Jays, and other powerful and in- 
fluential families, distinguished for wealth and position. 

There were expectations of a gay season after the inaugu- 
ration, but there was disappointment. The tardy arrival of 
Mrs. Washington, the severe illness of the President immedi- 
ately afterwards, and the death of his mother late in summer 



282 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

prevented Washington's attendance at any ball after the one 
given by the French minister on the 7th of May. Mrs. 
Washington, who had little inclination to participate in the 
mere amusements of society, was never present at a public 
ball during her residence in New York. She was sometimes 
present, with her husband, at the dancing assemblies, but 
always retired by ten o'clock. But she, as well as Wash- 
ington, was fond of the drama, and they attended plays at 
the little theatre in John Street (which could accommodate 
only about three hundred persons) on several occasions. 
The lirst time they were present was just after Washington's 
return from his eastern tour. In his diary, under date of 
November 24, 1789, he wrote: 

" A good deal of company at the levee to-day. Went to 
the play in the evening. Sent tickets to the following ladies 
and gentlemen, and invited them to seats in my box, viz. : 
Mrs. Adams, lady of the Vice-president, General Schuyler 
and Lady, Mr. King and Lady, Major Butler and Lady, Colo- 
nel Hamilton and Lady, Mrs. Greene — all of whom accepted 
and came, except Mrs. Butler, who was indisposed." 

The President had been waited upon by the manager, Mr. 
Wignell, a few days before, who invited him to attend the 
theatre, with his friends. He was requested to choose the 
play. "The Poor Soldier" was selected, in which 'Wignell 
took the part of Darby. In order to give the play more 
freshness and piquancy, Wignell employed Dunlap, the young 
artist and dramatist, to write an interlude, which he called 
"Darby's Return." Darby was an Irish lad who recounted 
his experience in New York. Describing the change in 
the Government and the inauguration of the President, he 
said : 



AT THE THEATRE. 283 

" There, too, I saw some mighty pritty shows ; 
A revolution, without blood or blows, 
For, as I understand, the cunning elves. 
The people, all revolted from themselves." 

Washington smiled, but he looked grave and uneasy, ex- 
pecting some personal adulation, which always annoyed him, 
when Darby, alluding to the President at the inauguration, 
said : 

" A man who fought to free the land from woe. 
Like me, had left his farm a soldiering to go. 
But having gained his point, he had, like me, 
Returned, his own potato ground to see. 
But there he would not rest ; with one accord 
He's called to be a kind of — not a lord — 
I don't know what; he's not z. great man, sure, 
For poor men love him just as he were poor, 
They love him like a father or a brother — " 

But when Kathleen here broke in and asked, 

" How looked he. Darby ? was he stout or tall ?" 

and Darby answered that he had not seen him, because he 
had mistaken a man 

" All lace and glitter, botherum and shine," 

for the President, until the show had passed, there was a 
burst of merriment from the audience, in which Washington 
and his party heartily joined. 

The orchestra on that occasion introduced a fresh and 
pleasing feature into their performance. Mr, Fayles, a Ger- 
man musician, had, at the request of manager Wignell, com- 
posed apiece of music called "The President's March." 
It was lively and stately in character, and was played for 



284 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

tlie lirst time on tlie occasion we are considering, when the 
general with Mrs. Washington led the way into his stage box. 
This circumstance intensified the applause which greeted 
the President. So soon as this march was played, the audi- 
ence, which held many soldiers and sailors, called with a 
hundred voices for their favorite air, " Washington's March," 
which the fife and drum had made familiar to their ears. 
"The President's March" is now known as "Hail Colum- 
bia," the song (so called from the first two words of its first 
line) having been adapted to the air. 

When the first session of the First Congress adjourned, 
at the close of September, Washington resolved to visit the 
Eastern States during the recess of the National Legislature. 
He desired Mrs. Washington to accompany him on this tour, 
but she would not relinquish the care of her grandchildren 
even for so brief a period as the journey promised to occu- 
py. She remained at the presidential mansion during her 
husband's absence. 

The President left New York on the morning of the 15th 
of October, 1789, in liis_chariot drawn by four spirited bay 
horses, which were raised at Mount Vernon. He was ac- 
companied by his two secretaries, Tobias Lear and Major 
William Jackson, on horseback. The chief-justice (John 
Jay), Colonel Hamilton, General Knox, and one or two other 
gentlemen rode with them as far as Rye, in Westchester 
County. His tour extended as far east as Portsmouth, in 
New Hampshire, and returning he reached New York on 
the 13th of November. In his diary for that day he wrote : 

" Breakfasted at Hoyt's, this side of Kingsbridge, and be- 
tween two and three o'clock arrived at my house, where I 
found Mrs. Washington and the rest of the family all well — 



THE "fourteen MILES ROUND." 287 

and it being Mrs. Washington's night to receive visits, a 
pretty large company of ladies and gentlemen were present." 

The President had avoided Rhode Island in this tour, be- 
cause that State had not ratified the National Constitution, 
and it was considered as an essentially foreign common- 
wealth. It entered the union in May the next year, and the 
President visited it in the autumn following, proceeding by 
water from New York to Newport in quest of benefit to his 
health. 

Soon after his arrival in New York, in the spring of 1789, 
the President ordered a coach from England. It wms not 
received until near the close of the year. The first men- 
tion of it in his diary was on December 12th: "Exercised 
in the coach with Mrs. Washington and the two children 
(Master and Miss Custis), between breakfast and dinner — 
went the fourteen miles round."* Previous to this date he 
mentioned riding in "« coach" — probably a hired one — and 
in the "post-chaise," the vehicle in which he usually trav- 
elled between Mount Vernon and New York. 

The English coach was one of the finest in the city, and 
attracted much attention when abroad with the President 
and his family. It was drawn by four spirited bay horses, 
governed by a driver and a postilion, both in livery, and 
accompanied by outriders. The coach was of a cream 
color, and was suspended on heavy leather straps resting 

* The "fourteen miles round" was by the old Kingsbridge Road, 
which passed over Murray Hill, where Lexington Avenue now does, to 
McGowan's Pass, at about One Hundred and Eighth Street: then across, 
on a line with the Harlem River to Bloomingdale, near the Hudson, 
and so down on the westerly side of the island by the Bloomingdale 
road and the Broadway. 



288 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



upon iron springs. The upper part, sides, front, and rear, 
was furnished with Venetian blinds and black leather cur- 
tains. Upon each door the Washington arms were embla- 
zoned, and upon the panels 
on each side of the doors 
were designs emblematic of 
the four seasons, painted on 
copper, on a dark green 
ground, by the celebrated 
Italian artist, Cipriani.* 

In compliance with a pre- 
vailing custom at New York 
of receiving social calls on 
New-year's-day — a custom 
establisjhed by the Dutch 
and confirmed by the Hu- 
guenots — the President re- 
ceived formal visits between 
the hours of one and three o'clock from the Vice-president, 
the cabinet ministers, the Governor of New York, the sec- 




PANEI- ON WASHINGTON'S COACH. 



* At the sale of Washington's effects at Mount Vernon, after the 
death of his widow, this coach was purchased by the late G. W. P. Cus- 
tis. It finally became the property of the late Bishop Meade, of Vir- 
ginia. Becoming unfit for use, the bishop had it taken apart, and pieces 
of it were distributed among his friends, also among associations of 
ladies for benevolent and religious objects, who, at their fairs, sold frag- 
ments made into walking-sticks, picture-frames, and snuffboxes. I have 
a snuffbox made of a piece of one of the spokes. About two-thirds of 
one of the wheels thus produced one hundred and forty dollars. The 
old coach probably yielded more to the cause of charity than it cost the 
builder at its first erection. 



THE PRESIDbiNT's HOUSE IN NEW YORK. 289 

retaries and members of the House of Representatives, for- 
eigners of distinction, and "all the respectable citizens." 
Towards evening Mrs. Washington also had a reception for 
about three hours. Never before were so many ladies and 
gentlemen at one of her levees. The weather was glorious ; 
the air was as balmy as in mid-May. For a generation there 
had not been so mild a winter at New York. Farmers and 
gardeners on Manhattan Island were cultivating the land in 
January, and ladies appeared at Mrs. Washington's recep- 
tion in summer dresses. The evening was made delightful 
out-of-doors by the light of the full moon, and charming in 
the presidential mansion by the gracious hospitality of its 
mistress. Chairs were provided for the ladies, and liveried 
servants dispensed tea and coffee, and plain and plum cake, 
among the guests. Ice-cream, the favorite delicacy of to- 
day, was then unknown. 

The President's house in Cherry Street became too small 
for the increasing demands of official business and social 
requirements, and at the close of February, 1790, Washing- 
ton removed with his household to the more spacious dwell- 
ing of Mr. Macomb, on Broadway, a little below Trinity 
Church, which had been lately occupied by the French min- 
ister. The situation was delightful. There were grassy 
slopes from the house to the Hudson River, and far away 
to the westward spread out the fields and forests of New 
Jersey. There the President and his family lived, and Mrs. 
Washington entertained until the following autumn, when 
the seat of government was removed from New York to 
Philadelphia, and fixed there for ten years. Previous to this 
removal Washington had sat for his portrait several times 
to Col. John Trumbull, for the artist's use in painting his 

19 



290 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



pictures of the battles of Trenton and Princeton. In these 
pictures Trumbull represented Washington on horseback. 

The private life of the President and his family while in 
New York was exceedingly simple, and furnished the only 
solace for himself and Mrs. Washington for their depriva- 
tion of the quiet, domestic bliss which they always enjoyed 








THE president's MANSION (MACOMb's), ON BROADWAY, NEW YORK. 



at Mount Vernon. Every evening, excepting that of Friday, 
they spent alone with the children and Mr. and Mrs. Lear, 
who formed a part of the family. This privacy was seldom 
disturbed by a visitor, for the desires and habits of the fam- 
ily were generally known. Mr. Lear, and sometimes Wash- 
ington himself, would read aloud something entertaining to 
the whole family. On the retirement of Mrs. Washington 
at nine o'clock, the President went to his library and re- 
mained there an hour, when he, too, would go to his cham- 
ber. He always arose at daybreak, and busied himself in 
his library until the breakfast hour. 

As a rule, visitors were not received at the presidential 



STRICT OBSERVANCE OF THE SABBATH. 29 1 

mansion on Sundays ; but there was one description of 
visitors which was welcomed there on all days. These were 
the veteran soldiers, who repaired to "head -quarters," as 
they said, just to inquire after the health of his Excellency 
and Lady Washington. All were kindly received, and many 
of them were conducted to the steward's apartments and 
received refreshments. On their departure, Mrs. Washing- 
ton would bestow upon them some token of her regard, and 
would express wishes for their health and happiness. They 
went away, often with tearful eyes, invoking blessings upon 
their beloved commander and the good Lady Washington. 

On Sundays the whole family attended St. Paul's Church 
in the morning. Mrs. Washington often attended divine 
service with the children in the afternoon. The President 
usually remained in his library most of the afternoon, and 
devoted the time to his private correspondence. In the 
evening he read a sermon or some devotional work aloud 
to the family, and closed the day by reading a portion of 
the sacred Scriptures to Mrs. Washington in her own apart- 
ment. These domestic habits were practised also at Phila- 
delphia. Private tutors were always employed in the edu- 
cation of the children, but Mrs. Washington was their ever- 
present "governess," giving direction to their minds and 
morals. 

The subject of the place of permanent residence for the 
National Government occupied the attention of Congress 
from the beginning. States and towns offered inducements 
for the location of the political metropolis within their bor- 
ders. Congress finally agreed that some point on the bank 
of the Potomac River should be selected fof the seat of 
government. The choice of the site was left to the Presi- 



292 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

dent. It was also agreed that during ten years from the 
close of 1790, while awaiting the laying out of the capital 
city and erecting the necessary public buildings, Philadel- 
phia should be the metropolis of the nation. This decision 
produced great dissatisfaction among the inhabitants of 
New York, for it was a severe blow against the rapidly in- 
creasing prosperity of that city. The Philadelphians were 
naturally much elated, and the prices of real estate and al- 
most everything else in that city immediately advanced. 

Robert Morris had been chieHy instrumental in securing 
the removal of the govermnent to Philadelphia, and against 
him were levelled the keenest shafts of wit and satire with 
pen and pencil. A caricature was published in which Mor- 
ris was seen marching off with the "Federal Hall" upon 
his shoulders, its windows crowded with members of both 
Houses of Congress, some encouraging, some cursuig the 
movement, while the Devil, from the roof of the Paulus 
Hook ferry house beckoned to him ni a patronizing manner, 
crying, " This way, Bobby !" * 

The second session of the First Congress, the last ever 



* The lieads of depai-tments and members of Congress were disap- 
pointed m going to Philadelphia, especially tlie prudent ones from the 
Eastern States, and regretted the removal of the seat of govefnment 
from New York. The temper of some of them seems to have been 
soured. They found the prices of everything vastly greater than in 
Now York, and this fact caused some pretty severe commentaries. 
Oliver Wolcott wrote, " The people of this State seem very proud of 
tlieir city, their wealth, and their supposed knowledge. I have seen 
many of their principal men, and discover nothing that tempts me to 
idolatry." James Monroe said, " The city seems at present to be mostly 
inhabited by sharpers." Jeremiah Smith, of New Hampshire, wrote, 
" The Philadelphians are, from the highest to the lowest, from the par- 



WASHINGTON S VISIT TO NEWPORT. 293 

held in New York, closed on the 12th of August, 1790, and 
two days afterwards the President sailed for Newport, R. I., 
accompanied by Mr. Jefferson, Governor Clinton, some 
members of Congress, Colonel Humphreys, and Major Jack- 
son. This voyage was undertaken for the double purpose, 
as has been observed, of a quest for renewed healtli and to 
make a visit to Rhode Island, which had recently entered 
the Union, the President having avoided it while on his 
eastern tour. 

Washington and his company arrived at Newport on the 
morning of the 17th, where they were received with every 
mark of respect. They were entertained at a public ban- 
quet at the State-house. From Newport they sailed up to 
Providence, where they were also entertained ; and then they 
departed for New York, arriving there on the 21st. The 
President's health was much improved by the sea-voyage. 
He had endured much sickness since his inauguration. 



son in his black <^own to i\\Q fille dejoie, or girl of pleasure, a set of beg- 
gars. You cannot turn round without paying a dollar." Mrs. John 
Adams, wife of the Vice-president, wrote concerning the discomforts of 
the house she occupied, and said. " Mr. Lear was in to see me yester- 
day, and assures me that I am much better off than Mrs. Washington 
will be when she arrives, for that their house is not likely to be com- 
pleted this year. And when all is done it will not be Broadway ! If 
New York wanted any revenge for the removal, the citizens might be 
glutted if they would come here, where every article has risen to almost 
double its price, and where it is not possible for Congress and their ap- 
pendages, for a long time, to be half as well accommodated." 

But while men grumbled and scolded, the women were generally 
pleased with Philadelphia, because of its order and cleanliness, sociabil- 
ity, and even gayety. This was especially the case after the season for 
parties and balls had begun. 



294 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

" Within the last twelve months," he wrote to a friend, " I 
have undergone more and severer sickness than thirty pre- 
ceding years afflicted me with." 

During the President's absence, Mrs. Washington, with a 
joyous heart, had made all necessary preparations for their 
departure for Mount Vernon, from which they had been 
exiled fifteen months. On the day before that happy de- 
parture they entertained at dinner Governor Clinton and 
his wife, the mayor and corporation of the city of New York, 
and one or two other distinguished persons. They sat long 
at table. The President and his family were about to leave 
the transient seat of government, perhaps forever, and many 
topics for conversation and discussion were presented for 
consideration. 

It was the desire and the intention of the President to 
leave the city the next morning at ten o'clock, without cere- 
mony, and he believed that purpose would be accomplished 
when the city seemed as quiet as usual at early morning. 
He was destined to disappointment. Unheralded and un- 
expected, before the time fixed for departure. Governor 
Clinton arid his suite, the State officers, the municipal 
authorities, the clergy, members of the Society of the Cincin- 
nati, and many leading citizens, pursuant to a secret pre- 
arrangement, appeared at the presidential mansion, accom- 
panied by a band of music. These, by permission, formed 
an escort for the President and his family to the landing at 
Whitehall, where the beautiful barge which had brought the 
general and Mrs. Washington to the city was in waiting to 
receive them. The moment the honored family entered the 
barge they were saluted by thirteen discharges of cannon 
and the huzzas of a great multitude of citizens who had has- 



JOURNEY TO PHILADELPHIA. 295 

tened to the spot. To this salutation the President, stand- 
ing erect in the barge, with a voice tremulous with emotion, 
bade the company farewell. This was the final farewell to 
New York by the President and his wife, for they never saw 
that city again. Governor Clinton, Chief-justice Jay, Gen- 
eral Knox, Colonel Hamilton, and the mayor of New York, 
accompanied them in the barge as far as Paulus Hook, on 
the Jersey shore, where they entered their English coach, 
drawn by six horses, and proceeded to Liberty Hall, the 
seat of Governor Livingston, where they dined. 

The driver of the coach was incompetent to manage such 
a team, and before they reached Elizabethtown he ran it 
into a gully and nearly overturned it. It was considerably 
injured. The driver was transferred to the baggage-wagon, 
which he upset twice. At Governor Livingston's a new 
coachman was procured, and the fainily proceeded in safety 
to Philadelphia, escorted from time to time, from place to 
place, by cavalcades of gentlemen. Near Philadelphia they 
were met by Governor Mifflin and many distinguished per- 
sons on horseback, escorted by a squadron of cavalry. At 
the city they were greeted by a vast multitude, and were 
conducted to the City Tavern, where quarters had been 
provided for them. There the city authorities welcomed 
them to the future home of the chief-magistrate. 

After remaining a few clays in Philadelphia, Washington 
and his family departed for Mount Vernon in a post-chaise, 
leaving the coach in that city to be repaired. That business 
was intrusted to David Clarke, an Englishman and a coach- 
maker. The emblazoning on the coach doors was changed, 
retaining only the crest of Washington's coat-of-arms sur- 
rounded by a wreath. 



CHAPTER XV. 

The people of Philadelphia indulged the hope that their 
city might yet be the chosen permanent residence of the Na- 
tional Government, notwithstanding the action of Congress, 
and offered to provide a mansion for the President at the 
public expense. The legislature of Pennsylvania at about 
the same time appropriated a fine building on South Ninth 
Street for the same purpose. But Washington declined to 
accept the liberal offers, because he desired not to live in a 
house furnished by the public. Besides, he had determined 
to live in a style of the utmost simplicity, and preferred to 
furnish the house himself in a modest way, compatible with 
the dignity of his official position. He was probably moved 
to this decision by another cogent reason ; he knew the 
Philadelphians were using every means in their power to 
firmly establish the seat of government in their city. He 
preferred a site farther south, and was unwilling to afford 
the Philadelphians a plea such as the providing of a presi- 
dential mansion would afford ; so he hired a house (not so 
large as he had left in New York) of Robert Morris, situated 
on High Street, one door east from the south-east corner of 
Sixth, at the rate of three thousand dollars a year. Addi- 
tions were made to it. There were fine stables, sufficient 
for the accommodation of twelve horses. Attached to the 
house was a large garden, enclosed by a brick wall, and a 
lot well stocked with fruit. 



LIFE AT PHILADELPHIA. 



297 



Mr. Lear had been left in New York to forward to Phila- 
delphia the furniture and other things in the presidential 
mansion there. With these and some furniture bought in 
Philadelphia he fitted up the house in a most satisfactory 




THE president's HOUSE IN PHILADELPHIA. 

manner to both the President and Mrs. Washington. At 
the dose of November they arrived from Mount Vernon and 
took possession ; yet it was some time before Mrs. Wash- 
ington was ready to see company. Her first public recep- 
tion was held on Friday evening, Christmas-da^;.— The Pres- 
ident and his wife held their respective levees on Tuesdays 
and Fridays, as they had done in New York, and Congres- 
sional and official dinners were also given in a plain way, 
without any extravagant display of plate, ornament, or vari- 
ety of dishes. The tenor of their private lives continued to 
be simple and unostentatious. 



-e^K 



298 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

^An English manufacturer (Henry Wansey, F.R.S.), who 
breakfasted with the Washington family in 1794, wrote as 
follows : " Mrs. Washington herself made tea and coffee for 
us. On the table were two small plates of sliced tongue 
and dry toast, bread and butter, but no broiled fish, as is 
the general custom. Miss Eleanor Custis, her granddaugh- 
ter, a very pleasing young lady of about sixteen, sat next to 
her, and next her grandson, George Washington Parke Cus- 
tis, about two years younger. There were but slight indica- 
tions of form, one servant only attending, who had no livery; 
and a silver urn for hot water was the only expensive article 
on the table. Mrs. Washington struck me as somewhat old- 
er than the President, though I understand they were both 
born the same year. She was short in stature, rather robust, 
extremely simple in her dress, and wore a very plain cap, 
with her gray hair turned up under it." 

Mrs. Susan Wallace, whose mother lived opposite the 
President's home in Market Street, gave to her son, the late 
Horace Binney Wallace, some notes of her recollections of 
Mrs. Washington at this period. She and Mrs. Wallace's 
mother became intimate friends, and visited each other fre- 
quently. Mrs. Washington always returned a call on the 
third day. A footman would run over, knock loudly, and 
announce " Mrs. Washington," who would then come over 
with Mr. Lear. Mrs. Wallace often met the President's wife 
in her mother's parlor, and was delighted with her manners, 
which she said "were very easy, pleasant, and unceremoni- 
ous, with the characteristics of other Virginia ladies." 

The first Congress expired at twelve o'clock at noon, on 
March 4, 1791. At that hour the President and his family 
departed from Philadeljohia for Mount Vernon in a hand- 



WASHINGTON S SOUTHERN TOUR. 299 

some white coach, built by Mr. Clarke, of Philadelphia, and 
drawn by six horses. Finding the roads very heavy when 
they reached Delaware, they embarked in a vessel on Ches- 
apeake Bay, and after encountering great perils during a 
tempestuous night, they arrived in safety at Annapolis. 
Proceeding to Georgetown, the President there met the 
commissioners appointed to lay out the District of Colum- 
bia and locate the site of the National metropolis. Having 
settled everything satisfactorily, he proceeded to Mount 
Vernon, where he remained a week, when he set out upon a 
tour through the Southern States. 

Washington had prepared for this journey before leaving 
Philadelphia. His equipage and attendance consisted of 
his new coach, drawn by four horses, a light baggage-wagon 
and two horses, four saddle-horses, besides a led one for 
himself, and five persons — his valet de chambre, two foot- 
men, a coachman, and postilion. He was accompanied by 
Major Jackson, one of his secretaries. 

This tour was extended to Savannah, in Georgia. The 
President was everywhere received with tokens of venera- 
tion, love, and respect. He was welcomed to towns by sal- 
vos of artillery, and corporations of cities entertained him at 
banquets. At New Berne he attended a public dinner and 
a ball in the old palace of Governor Tryon. He was escort- 
ed into Wilmington by military companies and citizens who 
went out to meet him, and he was conveyed across the 
Cape Fear River in an elegantly decorated barge, manned 
by six masters of vessels. The citizens of Charleston gave 
him a magnificent reception. He was entertained at a pub- 
lic banquet at the Exchange, and in the afternoon he was 
visited by a great number of the most respectable ladies of 



300 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Charleston — " the first honor of the kind I had ever experi- 
enced," he wrote in his diary, " and it was as flattering as 
it was singular." 

Similar honors awaited Washington at Savannah. At 
this point he turned his face northward, travelled through 
the interior of South Carolina by way of Columbia, and 
reached Mount Vernon on the 12th of June, much invigor- 
ated by the journey. 

Washington remained at Mount Vernon about three 
weeks, inspecting his farms and teaching a new manager 
of the estate in his duties, for the failing health of his neph- 
ew, George Augustus AV'ashington, compelled the latter to 
relinquish that position. The President made a flying visit 
to Philadelphia, and returned early in September; but soon 
afterwards he and Mrs. Washington journeyed to the seat 
of government, for the first session of the Second Congress 
began on the 24th of October. 

In the presidential mansion the usual routine of its life in 
house-keeping, public receptions, and Congressional dinners 
was resumed. The city was very gay that season. It as- 
sumed metropolitan features and put on metropolitan airs. 
Parties, balls, and other entertainments abounded. The 
theatre, " as elegant, convenient, and as large as Covent 
Garden/' wrote an English traveller, was favored with the 
best professional company before seen in America, under the 
management of Wignell, already mentioned. Its perform- 
ances were often enjoyed by the President and his family. 

The terrible storm of the French Revolution had now be- 
gun to rage furiously, and its influence was soon severely 
felt in the political and social life of the United States. 
Blind, unreasoning sympathy with the revolutionists and in- 



RETICENCE CONCERNING PUBLIC MATTERS. 3OI 

telligent conservatism soon produced antagonistic parties 
here. Society was speedily divided by a strong line of de- 
marcation, and these antagonisms became more and more 
violent during the whole of Washington's administration. 
His cabinet was divided, yet he held it as a unit on the 
greater questions of the day — during all the excitements 
growing out of the conduct of Genet and his successors, the 
President's proclamation of neutrality. Jay's treaty, and the 
Whiskey Insurrection. 

Unlike the atmosphere of European palaces, wherein po- 
litical plots and intrigues among the women were often gen- 
erated and fostered, that of the presidential mansion was 
never disturbed by any political movements. Mrs. Wash- 
ington, who was supreme in her domain, never permitted 
political discussions among her guests. She never ex- 
pressed an opinion on public questions excepting in private 
among her most intimate friends. Though diplomatists and 
others often attempted to draw her into conversation on 
such topics, she so adroitly but most courteously evaded the 
subject that she remained a sphinx ; yet her convictions 
were as strong and clear as those of her husband, and were 
in perfect harmony with his. Indeed her sympathizing 
heart, sound sense, and judicious advice gave the President 
much of his strength, and helped him to wise decisions 
when he was perplexed with doubts. Mr. Custis informed 
me that Washington's letters to her from the seat of war 
and from the seat of government, while she was at Mount 
Vernon, were largely filled with matters on public affairs, 
and that her answers abounded with full and free expres- 
sions of opinion ; yet she was never known to utter, even 
semi-publicly, any opinion upon important questions of State. 



302 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

During the old war for independence, Mrs. Washington 
was more outspoken, and it is believed that an address 
published in a Philadelphia paper in 1780, while she was in 
that city, entitled, " The Sentiments of an American Wom- 
an," was written by her. Under that impression it was read 
from the pulpits of the churches throughout Virginia. 

Mrs. Washington was particularly distinguished, at all 
periods of her life, for her tender solicitude for the comfort 
and happiness of the friends she loved. In the spring of 
1793 Col. Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treas- 
ury, suffered a severe attack of tj^phoid fever. It is prob- 
able the following characteristic letter from Mrs. Washing- 
ton to Mrs. Hamilton, for whom she cherished the warmest 
regard, was written at that time : 

" I am truly glad, my dear Madam, to hear Colonel Ham- 
ilton is better to-day. You have my prayers and warmest 
wishes for his recovery. I hope you will take care of your- 
self, as you know it is necessary for your family. 

" We are lucky to have three bottles of the old wine that 
was carried to the East Indies, which is sent with three of 
another kind, which is very good, and we have a plenty to 
supply you, as often as you please to send for it, of the 
latter. 

" The President joins me in devoutly wishing Colonel 
Hamilton's recovery. 

" We expect to leave this to-morrow, and beg you will 
send to Mrs. Emerson for anything that we have that you 
may want. 

"I am, my dear Madam, your very affectionate friend, 

" M. Washington."* 

* Autograph letter of Martha Washington, in the possession of Mrs. 



A wife's devotion. 303 

As the chief topic of this narrative is the career of the 
wife of Washington, and as notices of great events in which 
he was chief participant and with which she was in some 
degree connected have been introduced incidentally, and 
yet necessarily, in order to give lucidity to the narrative, I 
shall make note of but little more of his administration of 
eight years. During that time Mrs. Washington was almost 
constantly at his side, a nurse in sickness, a companion in 
social life, and a counsellor and best friend at all times. 
She gave him the comforts and the exquisite enjoyments of 
home life, which he so much coveted in the intervals of his 
public toils and cares. She was with him in their occasional 
seasons of retirement on the banks of the Potomac, when a 
lull in public business, during the recesses of Congress, 
would allow him to leave the capital. She was the ever 
cheerful, ever gracious mistress of the presidential mansion, 
who entertained distinguished strangers from abroad and 
public characters at home with a dignity and grace which 
commanded universal admiration. 

Washington refused to accept the exalted office of Presi- 
dent a third time. In the autumn of 1796 he published his 
famous " Farewell Address," and in the following spring he 

Philip Hamilton, of Poughkeepsie, a daughter-in-law of Col. Alexander 

Hamilton. 

The autograph letters of Mrs. Washington are extremely rare. The 
contents of this one are so characteristic that it appears worthy of pub- 
lication in this connection. The President and his family always left 
the seat of government immediately after the termination of the short 
session of Congress, on the 4th of March. We may infer from the cir- 
cumstances hinted at, that this letter was written in the first week of 
March, 1793. Mrs. Emerson was the house-keeper of the presidential 
mansion. 



304 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

retired to private life. The last two years of his administra- 
tion had been exceedingly trying to his patience, for never 
before nor since, in the history of our country, did political 
party-spirit evince more violence of temper or indulge in 
more unscrupulous attacks upon private character than at 
that period. The President was the object of the most 
scurrilous personal abuse.* No one dared to accuse him 
openly of dishonest or even dishonorable conduct, yet by 
innuendoes and falsehoods of darkest aspect, disguised as 
insinuations, his political enemies attempted to destroy his 
popularity and to send him into private life without the 
sweet consolations of the approval of his countrymen. 

" To the wearied traveller who sees a resting-place, and is 
bending his body to lean thereon," Washington wrote to 
General Knox at that time, " I now compare myself ; but to 
be suffered to do this in peace is too much to be endured by 



* Three days after the President retired from office, a writer in the 
Aurora newspaper said, " When a retrospect is taken of the Washington 
administration for eight years, it is the subject of the greatest astonish- 
ment that a single individual should have cankered the principles of 
republicanism in an enlightened people just emerged from the gulf of 
despotism, and should have carried his designs against the public lib- 
erty so far as to have put in jeopardy its very existence. Such, however, 
are the facts, and with these staring us in the face, this day ought to be 
^jubilee in the United States." Thomas Paine had published an open 
letter to Washington a few days before, in which he said, "As to you, 
sir, treacherous in private friendship and a hypocrite in public life, the 
world will be puzzled to now decide whether you are an apostate or an 
impostor, whether you have abandoned good principles, or whether you 
ever had any." Poor Paine was very angry because Washington had not 
used his power and influence in compelling the French Jacobins to re- 
lease him from prison in Paris. 



LAFAYETTE IN PRISON. 305 

some. To misrepresent my motives, to reprobate my politics, 
and to weaken the confidence which has been imposed in 
my administration, are objects which cannot be relinquished 
by those who will be satisfied with nothing short of a change 
in our political system. The consolation, however, which 
results from conscious rectitude, and the approving voice 
of my country, unequivocally expressed by its representa- 
tives, deprive their sting of its poison, and place in the same 
point of view the weakness and malignity of their efforts." 

The misfortunes of Lafayette and his family during the 
later years of Washington's administration gave the Presi- 
dent and his wife the most painful anxiety. The marquis 
had taken an active part in the opening events of the French 
Revolution, but opposing the rash acts of the Terrorists he 
was ostracized by them. He started for Holland, to make 
his way to the United States, but was caught by Prussians 
and cast into an Austrian prison at Olmiitz. When, in 
1795, his wife and daughters hastened to Olmiitz, by per- 
mission, to share the prison with him, his son, George 
Washington Lafayette, came to the United States with his 
tutor, to crave the care and protection of Washington. 

The first impulse of the President and his wife was to re- 
ceive young Lafayette at once and cherish him as a son, but 
State policy forbade it at that critical juncture in public 
affairs. Provision was made for the lad's welfare. He was 
for a time an inmate of Col. Alexander Hamilton's family 
at New York.* In a letter to him explaining the cause of 
his action, Washington wrote : 

* Hamilton's residence was then at " The Grange," near the Harlem 
River. The late Philip Schuyler, of Pelham, Westchester County, N. Y., 
a grandson of General Schuyler, was at that time a student in Columbia 

20 



3o6 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

" How long the causes which have withheld you from me 
may continue I am not at able this moment to decide ; but 
be assured of my wishes to embrace you so soon as they 
shall have ceased, and that whenever the period arrives I 
shall do it with fervency." 

The sixty-fifth anniversary of the birth of Washington 
(February 22, 1797) was celebrated at Philadelphia with un- 
usual enthusiasm and ceremony.* The ships in the harbor 

College, and boarded with the Hamiltons. He informed me that on 
one occasion he and young Lafayette quarrelled, and the American boy 
whipped the French youth. When, in 1825, young Lafayette with his 
father visited Mr Schuyler at Saratoga, the latter pleasantly reminded 
him of the circumstance. 

* Washington's birthday was celebrated immediately after the close 
of the Revolution. A clause in a letter from Washington to Rocham- 
beau, in the spring of 1784, indicates that it had been celebrated in Paris 
by the French officers who had served under him. The first birthnight 
ball seems to have been given by his neighbors and friends at Alexan- 
dria, a few miles from Mount Vernon, and this was soon imitated in the 
principal cities of the Union. It was always celebrated at the seat of 
government while he was President, and the ball. at night was invariably 
attended by him and Mrs. Washington. It was also a gala night at the 
theatres. At one of these balls, in Philadelphia, appeared groups of 
young ladies, wearing on their heads and intertwined with their curls 
bandeaux, with the words embroidered on them, " Long live the Presi- 
dent." Popular songs often enlivened the public celebrations of Wash- 
ington's birthday. I quote the opening stanza of one of them . 

"Come, boys, close the windows and make a good fire, 

Wife, children, sit snug all around; 
'Tis the day that gave birth to our country's bless'd sire, 

Then let it with pleasure be crowned. 
Dear wife, bring your wine, and, in spite of hard times, 

On this day at least we'll be merry ; 
Come, fill every glass till it pours o'er the brim, 

If not with Madeira — then Sherry." 



WASHINGTON S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATED. 307 

displayed a profusion of flags. During the day the church 
bells rang merry peals every half-hour. Members of Con- 
gress, the diplomatic corps, and a great number of citizens 
called on the President at his house to offer him their con- 
gratulations. In the evening a ball was given in his honor 
at the amphitheatre. The portion usually occupied by the 
horses was floored over for dancing, and flowers, flags, and 
evergreens decorated the building in every part. Many 
banners and complimentary inscriptions were displayed. 

When the President and Mrs. Washington entered, they 
were conducted to a sofa with a canopy over it, on an ele- 
vated platform. W' ashington did not occupy it much of the 
time, but moved about conversing familiarly with the company. 
" The ladies," wrote an eye-witness, "were elegantly dressed. 
There were at least fi\Ti hundred present, and a greater num- 
ber of gentlemen. The President and Mrs. Washington 
were in very good spirits, and, I am persuaded, have not 
spent so agreeable an evening for a long time. Every coun- 
tenance bespoke pleasure and approbation ; even democrats 
forgot for a moment their enmity, and seemed to join heart- 
ily in the festivity." 

Mrs. Washington and the President held their last levees 
together as one entertainment a few days before he retired 
from office. It was attended by the beauty and fashion of 
the metropolis, and by a far greater number of these and 
persons of distinction than usual. On the 3d of March they 
gave a farewell dinner to as many persons as could be seat- 
ed at their table. Among the guests were the Vice-president, 
the cabinet ministers, the foreign diplomatists, and several 
distinguished citizens of Philadelphia, with their wives. 
Bishop White, who was among the guests, wrote : 



308 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

" During the dinner much hilarity prevailed ; but on the 
removal of the cloth it was put an end to by the President 
— certainly without design. Having filled his glass, he ad- 
dressed the company, with a smile on his countenance, say- 
ing, ' Ladies and gentlemen, this is the last time I shall 
drink your health as a public man. I do it with sincerity, 
and wishing you all possible happiness.' There was an end 
to all hilarity, and the cheeks of Mrs. Liston, wife of the 
British minister, were wet with tears."* 



* The Rev. Ashbel Green, the chaplain of Congress at that time, and 
who was generally at the public dinners given by Washnigton, left on 
record an account of the manner of these entertainments. " His week- 
ly dining day for company," wrote Mr. Green, "was Thursday, and his 
dining hour was always four o'clock in the afternoon. His rule was to 
allow five minutes for the variation of clocks and watches, and then go 
to the table, be present or absent whoever might. . . . When lagging 
members of Congress came in, as they often did, after the guests had sat 
down to dinner, the President's only apology was, ' Gentlemen (or sir), we 
are too punctual for you. I have a cook who never asks whether the 
company, but whether the hour has come.' . . . Mrs. Washington often, 
but not always, dined with the company, sat at the head of the table, 
and if, as was occasionally the case, there were other ladies present, they 
sat each side of her. The private secretary sat at the foot of tlie table, 
and was expected to be quietly attentive to all the guests. The President 
himself sat half way from the head to the foot of the table, and on that 
side he would place Mrs. Washmgton, though distant from him, on his 
right hand. He always, unless a clergyman was present, asked a bless- 
ing in a standing posture. . . . The President, it is believed, generally 
dined on one dish, and that of a veiy simple kind. If offered some- 
thing, either in the first or second course, which was very rich, his usual 
remark was, ' That is too good for me.' He had a silver pint cup or 
mug of beer placed by his plate, which he drank while eating. He took 
one glass of wine during dinner, and commonly one after. He then re- 



INAUGURATION OF THE SECOND PRESIDENT. 309 

On the following clay John Adams was inaugurated the sec- 
ond President of the United States. At the appointed hour 
(noon) Washington rode to Congress Hall in his coach 
drawn by six horses. When he entered the crowded hall 
he was greeted with cheers and the waving of handkerchiefs. 
Mr. Adams followed him and received similar honors. When 
they were seated in front of the Speaker's desk with the jus- 
tices of the Supreme Court, Washington arose and introduced 
Mr. Adams to the great assemblage, and then read a brief 
valedictory address, with such sensible emotions that it 
touched all hearts and brought tears to all eyes. The oath 
of ofifice was administered to the new President by Chief-jus- 
tice Ellsworth, an inaugural address followed, and the cere- 
monies ended. Washington re-entered his coach and re- 
turned to his house. He was followed by a multitude of 
shouting citizens. From his door-step he briefly addressed 
the people, and bade them farewell. 

On the evening of that eventful day the merchants and 
principal citizens of Philadelphia gave a brilliant entertain- 
ment — a banquet — at the amphitheatre in honor of the re- 
tiring President. It was attended by the foreign ministers, 
heads of departments. Congressmen, and a very large num- 
ber of ladies and gentlemen. When the President and Mrs. 
Washington entered the room the band played " Washing- 
ton's March." At the same moment a large curtain hang- 
ing at one end of the room was drawn aside, when a beauti- 



tired (the ladies having gone a little before), and left his secretary to 
superintend the table till the wine-bibbers of Congress had satisfied 
themselves with drinking. Nothing could exceed the order with which 
his table was served." 



3IO MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ful allegorical picture, painted by Charles Willson Peale, 
was revealed. The chief figure in it was that of the Beloved 
Guest. Other paintings depicting scenes in the public ca- 
reer of Washington decorated the room. Among these was 
a view of the mansion at Mount Vernon to which he and 
his family were about to retire. 

With this generous display of affection — this homage of 
intelligence, taste, and refinement — this notable testimoni- 
al of the popular regard, the public life of Washington was 
closed. He had on that day stepped down from the lofty 
pedestal on which he had stood for eight years, the chief 
representative of a new nation — the admiration of the civil- 
ized world — and became a plain farmer on the banks of the 
Potomac. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Young Lafayette had been invited to PJiiladelphia early 
in the winter of 1796-97, and was received with the warmest 
tokens of affection by Washington and his wife. He was 
advised to avoid society. He and his tutor, M. Frestel, lived 
near the presidential mansion, and when the Washington 
family left the seat of government for Mount Vernon they 
•accompanied them. Under the hospitable roof of these 
friends, the lad, as tenderly cared for as if he had been a 
son, remained until the following autumn, when the joyful 
news reached him that his father had been restored to his 
country and friends. At the close of October he and his 
tutor went to New York and sailed for France. 

In his journey from the seat of government to Mount 
Vernon, Washington was received with unbounded enthusi- 
asm at all the towns on the way. In these honors Mrs. 
Washington largely shared. They desired to avoid all pa- 
rade and escorts, but could not. When they approached 
Baltimore they were met by a troop of horse and a large 
crowd of people, some on foot and some on horseback, who 
had come out to escort them into the town. When they 
alighted at Fountaine's Inn the ex-President " was saluted," 
wrote an eye-witness, " with reiterated and thundering huz- 
zas from a vast multitude of voices." They reached Mount 
Vernon on the 14th of March. Mrs. Washington was suf- 
fering: from the effects of a cold she had contracted in Phil- 



312 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

adelphia. but she soon recovered under the influence of the 
genial sunshine and delightful quiet that prevailed at her 
home. 

The family at Mount Vernon now consisted of the gen- 
eral and his wife, his adopted children (Eleanor Parke Cus- 
tis and George Washington Parke Custis), his niece (Miss 
Harriet Washington), young Lafayette and his tutor, and Mr. 
Lear. Eleanor was then eighteen years of age, and George 
was si.xteen. The latter was a freshman student at the col- 
lege at Princeton. The other two grandchildren of Mrs. 
Washington were then married. Elizabeth Parke was the 
wife of Mr. Law, a nephew of Lord Ellenborough and a gen- 
tleman of fortune, and Martha Parke was the wife of Thom- 
as Peter, a gentleman of great wealth and excellence of 
character. 

The quiet of private life and freedom from public cares 
in their beloved home, with a promise that it should never 
again be interrupted, gave exquisite enjoyment to Washing- 
ton and his wife, and they fairly revelled in the luxury. 
Their letters to friends soon after their return home were 
filled with indications of their serene delight. To one 
Washington wrote : "If I could now and then meet the 
friends I esteem it would fill the measure of my enjoyments ; 
but if ever this happens, it must be under my own vine and 
fig-tree, as I do not think it probable that I shall go twenty 
miles from them." Alas ! the voice of his country soon 
called him to her aid against the aggressions of intoxicated 
France, and before the close of the next year he was in Phil- 
adelphia as the commander-in-chief of a provisional army.* 

* The French Government, offended because of the neutral position 



AT MOUNT VERNON AGAIN. 313 

Mrs. Washington took equal delight in her quiet seclusion. 
To Mrs. Kno.x; she wrote : " I cannot tell you, my clear 
friend, how much I enjoy home after having been deprived 
of one so long, for our dwelling in New York and Philadel- 
phia was not home, only a sojourning. The General and I 
feel like children just released from school or from a hard 
taskmaster, and we believe that nothing can tempt us to 
leave the sacred roof-tree again, except on private business 
or pleasure. We are so penurious with our enjoyment that 
we are loath to share it with any one but dear friends, yet al- 
most every day some stranger claims a portion of it, and we 
cannot refuse. 

" Nelly and I are companions. Washington [G. W. P. 
Custis] is yet at Princeton and doing well. Mrs. Law and 
Mrs. Peter are often with us, and my dear niece, Fanny 
Washington, who is a widow, lives at Alexandria, only a few 
miles from us. Our furniture and other things sent to us 
from Philadelphia arrived safely; our plate we brought with 

the United States had assumed, treated the American minister tliere with 
much rudeness, and authorized depredations on American commerce by 
French cruisers. President Adams attempted to negotiate for a good 
understanding, but failed, and Congress prepared to vindicate the digni- 
ty of our Government. A large provisional army was authorized, and 
Washington, urged by the President and the expressed public desire, ac- 
cepted the position of commander-in-chief of the new army, on the con- 
dition that he was not to take the field unless in the case of a great 
emergency. With this understanding, and that Alexander Hamilton 
should be made the acting commander-in-chief in the field, he undertook 
the great task. Happily, war did not ensue. The existing P>ench gov- 
ernment fell to rise no more early in 1799, and Napoleon Bonaparte, at 
the head of affairs, soon made an amicable arrangement with our Re- 
public. 



314 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

US in the carriage. How many dear friends I have left be- 
hind! They till my memory with sweet thoughts. Shall I 
ever see them again .'' Not likely, unless they shall come 
to me here, for the twilight is gathering around our lives. I 
am again fairly settled down to the pleasant duties of aii 
old-fashioned Virginia house-keeper, steady as a clock, busy 
as a bee, and as cheerful as a cricket." 

Mrs. Washington was, indeed, a notable " Virginia house- 
keeper." A pleasing picture of her in her home was drawn 
in a letter written by JNIrs. Col. Edward Carrington to her 
sister a few months before the death of Washington. " Let 
us repair to the old Lady's room," she wrote, " which is pre- 
cisely in the style of our good old Aunts — that is to say, 
nicely ti.xed for all sorts of work. On one side sits the 
chambermaid with her knitting ; on the other a little col- 
ored pet learning to sew. An old decent woman is there 
with her table and shears cutting out the negroes' winter 
clothes, while the good old lady directs them all, incessantly 
knitting herself. She points out to me several pair of nice 
colored stockings and gloves she has just finished, and pre- 
sents me with a pair half done, which she begs I will finish 
and wear for her sake. It is wonderful, after a life spent as 
these good people have necessarily spent theirs, to see them, 
in retirement, assume those domestic habits that prevail in 
our country." 

Washington gave his personal attention to the manage- 
ment of his farms, riding over them daily, a distance of 
from ten to fourteen miles. Starting out immediately after 
breakfast he would return in time to dress for dinner, "at 
which," he wrote to a friend, " I rarely miss seeing strange 
faces, come, as they say, out of respect for me. Pray, would 



MRS. WASHINGTON S HOME RULE. 



315 



not the word curiosity answer as well ? And how different 
this from having a few social friends at a cheerful board !" 
When war-clouds were gathering again, and Washington 
had accepted the chieftaincy of the provisional army author- 
ized to be raised in 1798, 
the number of visitors at 
Mount Vernon greatly in- 
creased, for civil and mili- 
tary officers repaired there 
to consult the great com- 
mander. 

Mrs. Washington was 
ever indulgent to her two 
grandchildren, the foster- 
children of her husband ; 
she and ^Vashingto^ both 
felt a deep solicitude for 
their welfare. Nelly (as 
Eleanor was usually called) 
afterwards said, " Grand- 
mamma always spoiled 
Washington [her brother], 
and often shielded him from the penalties which his many 
little faults had incurred." His foster-father, though most 
indulgent also, never relaxed proper and wholesome dis- 
cipline. To enforce this more satisfactorily he removed 
George from Princeton to an excellent seminary at Annap- 
olis, where he completed his school education. 

Though Mrs. Washington was very indulgent, she was 
also a most strict disciplinarian. She compelled Nelly to 
attend punctually and faithfully to her studies in letters and 




(From a painting by Stuart 



3l6 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 




NELLY CUSTIS'S HARPSICHORD.* 



music. Washington presented to her, at Philadelphia, a 
fine harpsichord, at a cost of a thousand dollars. The best 
teachers were employed to instruct her in its use, and her 



* This instrument was at Arlington House until Mount Vernon was 
purchased by the women of the United States, when Mrs. Lee gener- 
ously presented it to the association, and it was sent back to the old 
mansion, where it may be seen in the drawing-room. It was one of the 
most elegant of its kind. It is about eight feet long, three and a half 
feet wide, and has two boards, containing one hundred and twenty keys 
in all. The case is mahogany. 



NELLY CUSTIS. 317 

grandmamma made her " practise " upon it four and five 
hours a day. It became an instrument of torture to poor 
Nelly. " She would cry and play, and play and cry for 
hours/' said her brother. 

Nelly Custis was regarded as one of the most beautiful 
and most brilliant young women of her time. She was the 
pride of her grandmother, and was greatly beloved by her 
foster-father. Her beauty is attested by a portrait of her 
painted by Stuart just before she left Philadelphia, and 
which adorned the drawing-room at Arlington House until 
the breaking out of the late Civil War. Late in life she re- 
lated to a friend the following incident of her young girl- 
hood : 

"I was young and romantic then," she said, "and fond 
of wandering alone in the woods of Mount Vernon by moon- 
light. Grandmamma thought it wrong and unsafe, and 
scolded and coaxed me into a promise that I would not wan- 
der in the woods again, unaccoinpanied. But I was missing 
one evening, and was brought home from the interdicted 
woods to the drawing-room, where the General was walking 
up and down with his hands behind him, as was his wont. 
Grandmamma, seated in her great arm-chair, ojDened a se- 
vere reproof." 

" Poor Miss Nelly," says Mr, Irving, who first related the 
story, " was reminded of her promise, and taxed with her de- 
linquency. She knew that she had done wrong, admitted 
her fault, and essayed no excuse ; but when there was a 
slight pause, moved to retire from the room. She was just 
shutting the door, when she overheard the general attempt- 
ing, in a low voice, to intercede in her behalf. ' My dear,' he 
observed, ' I would say no more — perhaps she was not alone.' 



3l8 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

" His intercession stopped Miss Nelly in her retreat. 
She reopened the door, and advanced up to the general with 
a firm step. 'Sir,' said she, 'you brought me up to speak 
the truth, and when I told grandmamma I was alone, I hope 
you believe I was alone.'' 

" The general made one of his most magnanimous bows. 
' My child,' he replied, ' I beg your pardon.' " 

This charming granddaughter always spoke of her life at 
Mount Vernon, during childhood and young maidenhood, 
as most delightful. The domestic atmosphere was always 
peaceful and lovely. There was, at all times, perpetual har- 
mony between her grandmamma and the general. In all 
his intercourse with her he was most considerate and ten- 
der. Nelly had often seen Mrs. Washington, when she had 
anything to communicate or a request to make at a moment 
when his mind was abstracted from the present, seize him 
by the button to command his attention, when he would look 
down upon her with a most benignant smile, and become 
at once attentive to her and her wishes, which were never 
slighted. He keenly enjoyed a joke, she said, and no one 
laughed more heartily than he did when she (Nelly), a gay, 
laughing girl, gave one of her saucy descriptions of any 
scene in which she had taken a part, or any one of the many 
pranks she often played. 

When Nelly was about sixteen years of age she attended 
her first ball, at Georgetown, and wrote a description of it to 
her foster-father at the seat of government. His response 
presents the Father of his Country in the attitude of an es- 
sayist on the " Art of Love," and in delightful epistolary 
undress — an attitude in which he was rarely seen. After 
alluding to some remarks of hers about her indifference to 



Washington's views on love. 319 

young men, and her " determination never to give herself a 
moment's uneasiness on account of any of them," he warned 
her not to be too sure of her control of the passions. " In 
the composition of the human frame," he wrote, " there is a 
good deal of inflammable matter, which, when the torch is 
put to it, may burst into a flame." He continued : 

" Love is said to be an involuntary passion, and it is, 
therefore, contended that it cannot be resisted. This is true, 
in part only, for like all things else, when nourished and sup- 
plied plentifully with aliment, it is rapid in its progress ; but 
let these be withdrawn and it may be stifled in its birth or 
much stunted in its growth. For example : a woman (the 
same may be said of the other sex) all beautiful and accom- 
plished, will, while her hand and heart are undisposed of, 
turn the heads and set the circle in which she moves on fire. 
Let her marry, and what is the consequence .? The madness 
ceases and all is quiet again. Why? not because there is 
any diminution in the charm of the lady, but because there 
is an end of hope. Hence it follows that love may and 
therefore ought to be under the guidance of reason, for al- 
though we cannot avoid first impressions, we may assuredly 
place them under guard ; and my motives for treating on 
this subject are to show you, while you remain Eleanor Parke 
Custis, spinster, and retain the resolution to love with mod- 
eration, the propriety of adhering to the latter resolution, at 
least until you have secured your game, or the way by which 
it may be accomplished. 

"When the fire is beginning to kindle, and your heart 
growing warm, propound these questions to it : Who is this 
invader ? Have I a competent knowledge of him ? Is he a 
man of good character ; a man of sense } For, be assured, 



320 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

a sensible woman can never be happy with a fool. What 
has been his walk in life ? Is he a gambler, a spendthrift. 
or drunkard? Is his fortune sufficient to maintain me in 
the manner I have been accustomed to live, and my sisters 
do live ; and is he one to whom my friends can have no 
reasonable objection ? If these interrogatories can be sat- 
isfactorily answered, there will remain but one more to be 
asked ; that, however, is an important one : Have I suffi- 
cient ground to conclude that his affections are engaged by 
me ? Without this the heart of sensibility will struggle 
against a passion that is not reciprocated — delicacy, custom, 
or call it by what epithet you will, having precluded all ad- 
vances on your part. The declaration, without the most in- 
direct invitation of yours, must proceed from the man, to ren- 
der it permanent and valuable, and nothing short of good 
sense and an easy, unaffected conduct can draw the line be- 
tween prudery and coquetry. It would be no great de- 
parture from truth to say that it rarely happens otherwise 
than that a thorough-paced coquette dies in celibacy, as a 
punishment for her attempts to mislead others, by encourag- 
ing looks, words or actions, given for no other purpose than 
to draw men on to make overtures that they may be reject- 
ed. . . . Every blessing, among which a good husband when 
you want and deserve one, is bestowed on you by yours af- 
fectionately."* 

Numerous suitors sought the heart and hand of beautiful 

* Autograph letter of Washington, dated " Philadelphia, Januaiy 1 6, 
1795." He wrote many other familiar letters to this sprightly foster- 
child, but they have been lost or destroyed. I found the above in the 
possession of Mrs. Mary Custis Lee, of Arlington House, a great-grand- 
daughter of Mrs. Washington. 



NELLY CUSTISS SUITORS. 32 1 

Nelly Custis. She gave them both to Lawrence Lewis, a 
favorite nephew of Washington and a son of his deceased 
and much loved sister Elizabeth. Soon after his retirement 
from public life, Washington invited Lawrence to become a 
permanent resident at Mount Vernon, for much company 
became burdensome to the master and mistress. He wrote 
to his nephew : 

" As both your aunt and I are on the decline of life and 
regular in our habits, especially in our hours of rising and 
going to bed, I require some person (fit and proper) to ease 
me of the trouble of entertaining company, particularly 
of nights, as it is my inclination to retire (and unless pre- 
vented by very particular company, I always do retire) ei- 
ther to bed or to my study soon after candle-light. In tak- 
ing these duties (which hospitality obliges one to bestow on 
company) off my hands, it would render me a very accept- 
able service." 

Lawrence complied with the request of his uncle, and be- 
came one of the family at Mount Vernon at the beginning 
of the year 1798. He was then a tall, finely proportioned, 
and handsome young man of twenty-two years, and in face 
and figure bore a striking resemblance to his illustrious kins- 
man. Already the most intimate friendly relations existed 
between him and Nelly Custis. These now soon ripened into 
a mutual tender attachment,, which gratified Washington. 

Other suitors for Nelly's hand appeared. Among these 
was young Carroll, a son of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, 
who had just returned from Europe, possessed of all the 
grace and refinement of manners incident to a thorough 
and well ordered education and heightened by travel. He 
was heir to a large estate, and bore an unblemished charac- 

21 



322 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

ter. Mrs. Washington decidedly encouraged his suit. Nel- 
ly's brother, at school at Annapolis, sympathized with his 
grandmother, and ventured to write to Washington on the 
subject, saying : 

" I find that young Mr. C has been at Mount Ver- 
non, and, report says, to address my sister. It may be well 
to subjoin an opinion which, I believe, is general in this 
place, viz., that he is a young man of the strictest probity 
and morals, discreet without closeness, temperate without ex- 
cess, and modest without vanity • possessed of those amia- 
ble qualities and friendship which are so commendable, and' 
with few of the vices of the age. In short, I think it a most 
desirable match, and wish tliat it may take place with all 
my heart." 

Washington, who as decidedly favored the suit of his 
nephew, closed abruptly the correspondence with young 
Custis on that theme, by saying in a letter : 

" Young Mr. C came here about a fortnight ago to din- 
ner, and left us next morning after breakfast. If his object 
was such as you say has been reported, it was not declared 
here ; and therefore the less is said upon the subject, par- 
ticularly by your sister's friends, the more prudent it will be 
until the subject develops itself more." 

Nelly's heart beat in unison with the wishes of her foster- 
father. Suitor after suitor was rejected, and she and Law- 
rence Lewis were married at Mount Vernon on Washington's 
birthday, 1799. The day was brilliant with unclouded sun- 
light, and the air was as balmy as the most genial day in 
May. A gay and joyous company were assembled at Mount 
Vernon on that occasion. The bride was "given away" by 
her loving foster-father. The nuptial ceremonies were per- 



MARRIAGE OF MISS CUSTIS. 323 

formed by the Rev. Thomas Davis, rector of Christ Church, 
Alexandria, and Washington presented to him, on that oc- 
casion, an elegant copy of Mrs. Macaulay Graham's " His- 
tory of England,"* in eight volumes, saying, "These, sir, 
were written by a remarkable lady, who visited America 
many years ago; and here is also her treatise on the ' Im- 
mortality of Moral Truth,' which she sent me just before 
her death — read it and return it to me." 

The young couple, Lawrence and Nelly Lewis, resided at 
Mount Vernon until the death of Mrs. Washington in 1802. 

* See page 247. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The long and eventful period of the sweet earthly compan- 
ionship enjoyed by Martha Washington with her husband 
was now drawing to a close. At near the end of the year 
in which the happy wedding occurred at Mount Vernon, the 
spirit of Washington departed from the earth. The story 
of that departure is familiar to all my readers, and I will not 
repeat it here in detail. 

For several months before that event Washington appears 
to have had at times a presentiment of near approaching 
death. In July he executed his last will and testament. 
He also prepared, in minute detail, a system for the man- 
agement of his estate, for the guidance of whomsoever might 
have charge of it. That paper was completed four days be- 
fore he died, and was accompanied by a letter to his mana- 
ger, Mr. Lear, giving him special directions, as if the writer 
was about to depart on a long journey. He seems to have 
communicated his forebodings to Mrs. Washington, who, 
early in the autumn, when she was recovering from a severe 
illness, wrote to a kinswoman in New Kent : 

" At midsummer the General had a dream so deeply im- 
pressed on his mind that he could not shake it off for sev- 
eral days. He dreamed that he and I were sitting in the 
summer-house, conversing upon the happy life we had spent, 
and looking forward to many more years on the earth, when 
suddenly there was a great light all around us, and then an 



Washington's death presentiment. 



325 



almost invisible figure of a sweet angel stood by my side and 
whispered in my ear. I suddenly turned pale and then be- 
gan to vanish from his sight and he was left alone. I had 
just risen from the bed when he awoke and told me his 
dream, saying, 'You know a contrary result indicated by 



■¥-.' 



rr^^ 




SUMMER-HOUSE AT MOUNT VERNON. 

dreams may be expected. I may soon leave ymc: I tried 
to drive from his mind the sadness that had taken posses- 
sion of it, by laughing at the absurdity of being disturbed 
by an idle dream, which, at the worst, indicated that I would 
not be taken from him ; but I could not, and it was not un- 
til after dinner that he recovered any cheerfulness. I found 



326 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



in the library, a few days afterwards, some scraps of paper 
which showed that he had been writing a Will, and had 
copied it. When I was so very sick, lately, I thought of 
this dream, and concluded my time had come, and that I 
should be taken first."* 







CHRIST CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA. 



Washington enjoyed unusual good health for the several 
months which preceded his death. He and Mrs. Washing- 
ton attended divine service as usual at Christ Church, at 
Alexandria, after her recovery, and at the middle of Novem- 
ber they received an invitation to attend the dancing assem- 



* Autograph letter at Arlington House, dated " September i8, 1799." 



DEATH OF WASHINGTON. 327 

blies in that town, as they had frequently done. To this in- 
vitation Washington replied : 

" Mount Vernon, 12"* November, 1799. 
•'Gentlemen: Mrs. Washington and myself have been 
honored by your polite invitation to the Assemblies at Al- 
exandria this winter, and thank you for this mark of atten- 
tion. But, alas ! our dancing days are no more. We wish, 
however, all those who have relish for so agreeable and in- 
nocent amusement all the pleasure the season will afford 
them." 

Just a month from the date of this note Washington rode 
over his farm on horseback for several hours in a storm of 
sleet, sat down to dinner without removing his damp cloth- 
ing, and during the succeeding night suffered a violent at- 
tack of membranous croup. Physicians came, and soon so 
reduced his vital powers by excessive blood-letting that he 
had not sufficient strength left to resist the disease. He 
died from the effects of maltreatment through ignorance, 
at near midnight on December 14, 1799. 

At the moment of her husband's departure Mrs. Wash- 
ington was sitting near the foot of the bed, w-here she had 
been a constant w-atcher for almost twenty-four hours. Dr. 
Craik, the family physician, and Mr. Lear stood near the 
head of the bed, and several house-servants were in the 
room. 

" While we were all fixed in silent grief," wrote Mr. Lear, 
" Mrs. Washington asked, with a firm and collected voice, 
' Is he gone?' I could not speak, but held up my hand as 
a signal that he was no more. "Tis well,' said she, in the 
same voice ; ' all is now over. I shall soon follow him ; I 
have no more trials to pass through.' " 



328 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON, 

So sudden was the attack of the disease, and so rapidly 
did it run its course, that Washington died before some of 
the near relatives could reach the chamber where he lay 
while he yet breathed. Mr. Lewis and Master Custis were 
at the " White House," in New Kent, and the daughter-in- 
law of Mrs. Washington, Mrs. Dr. Stewart, and the married 
granddaughters of the bereaved matron were not notified 
in time to reach Mount Vernon before all was over. Nelly 
was too ill at the time to leave her room in safety. The 
solemn funeral service of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
was pronounced by the Rev. Mr. Davis on the i8th, when 
the body was laid in the family vault with Masonic rites. 

Congress was in session in Philadelphia at the time of 
Washington's death, and rendered appropriate honors to his 
memory. A public funeral was decreed, at which Major 
Henry Lee pronounced an oration, and the National Legis- 
lature resolved that a marble monument should be erected 
to his memory by the United States at the National Capi- 
tal (the city of Washington), so designed as to commemorate 
the great military and civil events of his life. It was also 
resolved to request his family to permit the remains of 
Washington to be deposited under the monument. Like 
similar memorials authorized by Congress during the war 
for independence, the construction of this monument was 
indefinitely deferred. After the lapse of nearly eighty-six 
years, a " marble monument " at the " National Capital," in 
honor of the illustrious citizen who was " first in war, first 
in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen," was 
completed at the beginning of 1885.* 

* The monument is a simple grand obelisk, rising five hundred and 



PUBLIC HONORS TO THE DECEASED. 329 

A copy of the resolves of Congress was sent to Mrs. 
Washington. Letters of condolence came to her from all 
parts of the Republic and from over the sea. The Presi- 
dent of the United States, John Adams, and his wife visited 

fifty-five feet above the ground. It stands near the Potomac River, in 
the city of Washington, on the very site selected by the great patriot for 
the erection of a monument commemorative of the American Revolution. 
It is of the exact proportions of the Egyptian obelisks, but instead of be- 
ing a huge monolith, it is a shaft composed of layers of hevi'n blocks of 
marble. Its apex is aluminium. This monument vi^as formally dedicat- 
ed on Washington's birthday. 1885. The Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, 
who was the orator on the occasion of laying the corner-stone about 
thirty-seven years before, was the chosen orator on the late occasion. 
Happily did he say, at the conclusion, in allusion to the obelisk and to 
Washington : 

" The storms of winter must blow and beat upon it. The action of 
the elements niust soil and discolor it. The lightnings of Heaven may 
scar and blacken it. An earthquake may shake its foundations. Some 
mighty tornado, or resistless cyclone, may rend its massive blocks asun- 
der and hurl huge fragments to the ground. But the character which it 
commemorates and illustrates is secure. It will remain unchanged and 
unchangeable in all its consummate purity and splendor, and will more 
and more command the homage of succeeding ages in all regions of the 
earth. God be praised, that character is ours forever !" 

The earliest monument erected to the memory of Washington was \ ^ 
reared on the highest pinnacle of South Mountain, in Maryland, in 1809, j / 
by tlie inhabitants of Boonesboro' and the neighboring farmers. They 
did not ask aid in their patriotic undertaking from the State or the Na- 
tional Treasury, but contributed the funds and the labor themselves. 
The farmers hauled the stones and laid the foundation of unhewn blocks 
of sandstone, and upon this a rude pile arose which at this day is a land- 
mark for the country scores of miles around. It is a simple cairn, such 
as patriotic pagans erected in honor of their heroes. What more than an 
artistic cairn is the "pile of stones" which composes the grand obelisk 
at the National Capital ? 



S3^ MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

Mount Vernon to condole with the widow of the departed 
patriot. So also did other distinguished citizens. 

Mrs. Washington, with the cheerful resignation of a trust 
ing spirit to her Master's will, and an unselfish obedience to 
duty towards the living as well as the dead, maintained the 
domestic establishment at Mount Vernon on the same scale 
of generous hospitality which prevailed during the lifetime 
of her husband. In her social ministrations and deeds of 
charity she was assisted by her accomplished granddaughter, 
Nelly Lewis, whose husband and Mr. Lear took the charge 
of all matters pertaining to the estate until everything was 
settled in accordance with the will. Mr. Lewis and his wife 
made Mount Vernon their home until the death of Mrs. 
Washington, when it passed into the possession of Bushrod 
\\'ashington, a nephew of the general, to whom it had been 
bequeathed by his uncle. 

" I shall soon follow him," said Mrs. Washington, when 
her husband departed, never to return. This prophecy was 
fulfilled about two years and a half afterwards. Early in 
the month of May, 1802, she was stricken with a malignant 
bilious fever, which baffled the skill of ph3'sicians from the 
outset. She was then seventy years of age. She felt satis- 
fied from the beginning that she would not survive the at- 
tack, and yet, in all her sufferings, her calm cheerfulness 
did not forsake her. She conversed tenderly with her grand- 
children concerning the faithful performance of the several 
duties of life in which they were engaged, of the happy in- 
fluences of the Christian religion upon the affairs of the 
world, and of the consolations of the Divine promises given 
to every believing heart in every emergency. 

In the presence of these living relations and two or three 



DEATH OF MRS. WASHINGTON. 33 I 

house-servants, the spirit of Martha Washington left its 
earthly tabernacle on the 22d of May, 1802. "To those 
amiable and Christian virtues which adorn the female char- 
acter," said the writer of an obituary notice in the Port- 
Folio of June 5th, -'she added dignity of manners, superi- 
ority of understanding, a mind intelligent and elevated. 
The silence of respectful grief is our best eulogy." 

The remains of Martha Washington were placed by the 
side of those of her husband, in the old family vault built 
by Lawrence Washington, near the mansion at Mount Ver- 
non. There they rested until 1837, when they were rein- 
terred in white marble coffins and placed in the vestibule of 
a new vault which had been prepared in accordance with a 
provision of the will of Washington.* These coffins were 
made by John Struthers, of Philadelphia, and presented by 
him to the relatives of Washington for the perpetual preser- 
vation of the remains of the illustrious dead. The wooden 
coffins which covered the leaden ones that contained their 
ashes had been twice renewed. 



* The following is the clause : " The family vault at Mount Vernon 
requiring repairs, and being improperly situated besides, I desire that a 
new one of brick, and upon a larger scale, may be built at the foot of 
what is called the Vineyard Enclosure, on the ground which is marked 
out, in which my remains, and those of my deceased relatives (now in 
the old vault), and such others of my family as may choose to be en- 
tombed there, may be deposited." 

After the lapse of about thirty years the new vault was built, with a 
small vestibule. Over the vault are the words, 

"I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE; HE THAT BELIEVETII 

IN Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." 

The vestibule was too small to give a proper reception to the marble 
coffins, and another was built. The whole structure is in bad taste, 
and impresses every visitor most unfavorably. 



332 MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 

These marble coffins are so placed in the vestibule of the 
new tomb that they may be easily seen by visitors through 
an open picketed iron gate. The coffin containing the re- 
mains of Mrs. Washington is perfectly plain ; that of her 
husband has an ornamented lid, on which is a sculptured 
representation of the American shield hanging over the flag 
of the Union. The latter is hung in festoons. The whole 
group is surmounted by an eagle. 

Martha ^^'asllington, in all that pertains to true woman- 
hood, was one of the noblest of women. As a daughter, 
wife, mother, and friend she was a bright exemplar. As an 
humble, trusting Christian, an earnest patriot and an unos- 
tentatious and generous philanthropist she was beloved, 
honored, and blessed. The sum of her excellence may be 
estimated by the consideration that she was an eminently 
worthy life-companion of one of the most illustrious men 
who ever trod the earth, of whom Dr. Franklin wrote in his 
will : 

" ]\Iy fine crab-tree walking-stick, with a gold head curi- 
ously wrought in the form of a cap of Liberty, I give to my 
friend, and the friend of mankind, George Washington. If 
it were a sceptre, he has merited it and would become it." 

Of him the Marquis de Chastellux wrote : 

" Let it be repeated that Conde' was intrepid, Luzerne was 
prudent, Eugene was adroit, Catinat was disinterested. It 
is not thus that Washington will be characterized. It will 
be said of him, at the end of a long civil war he had nothing to 
reproach himself. . . . Brave without temerity, laborious with- 
out ambition, generous without prodigality, noble without 
pride, virtuous without severity." 

To Washington Lord Erskine had written : 



nobility' OF WASHINGTON'S CHARACTER. 333 

" You are the only being for whom I have an awful rever- 
ence !" 

The great Count Herzburg wrote to him from Berlin : 

" I have always admired your great virtues and qualities, 
your disinterested patriotism, your unshaken courage and 
simplicity of manners— qualifications by which you surpass 
men even the most celebrated of antiquity." 

Lord Brougham said : 

" Until time shall be no more will a test of the progress 
which our race has made in Wisdom and Virtue be derived 
from the veneration paid to the immortal name of Wash- 
ington !" 

A writer in the " Encyclopedia Britannica," said: 

" Of all men that ever lived, he was the greatest of good 
men and the best of great men." 

And one of England's greatest poets wrote : 

" Where may the wearied eye repose 

When gazing on the great, 
Where neither guilty glory glows, 

Nor despicable State! 
Yes, One— the first, the last, the best. 
The Cincinnatus of the West, 

Whom Envy dared not hate — 
Bequeathed the name of Washington, 
To make men blush there was but Onel" 

The prime-minister of England, Mr. Gladstone, has pro- 
nounced him " the purest figure in history," and has writ- 
ten that " if among all the pedestals supplied by history for 
public characters of extraordinary nobility and purity, I saw 
one higher than all the rest, and if I were required at a 
moment's notice to name the fittest occupant for it, 1 think 



334 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON. 



my choice, at any time during tlie last forty-five years, would 
have lighted, and would now light, on Washington." 

The latest and best historian of England, Mr. Green, 
wrote : 

''• JVo nobler figure ever stood in the forefro?it of a nation'' s 
lifer 

Such was the man for whom Martha Washington was 
worthy to be a wife, a counsellor, and a friend. I have 
spoken of her person. Her voice was sweet and musical, 
flowing gently, yet rather 
quickly, especially when 
excited by any emotion. 
Her husband's speech, on 
the contrary, was rather 
slow and deliberate, sub 
dued in tone, precise in 
articulation, and always 
impressive. 

Several portraits of Mrs. 
Washington were painted. 
Only two were of life size, 
namely, the Woollaston 
portrait (see page 93) 
painted when she was 

Mrs. Custis, and a head by Stuart, now belonging to the 
Boston Athenaeum, painted when she was beyond sixty 
years of age. Of the several miniatures of her, probably 
the most accurate was painted by Archibald Robertson, a 
Scotch artist, in 1792, when she was sixty years old. It 
was first engraved from the original at Arlington House, 
about the year 1833, for the "American Portrait Gallery." 




SHADOW POKTIiAIT. 



LIKENESSES OF THE GENERAL AND HIS WIFE. 335 

From that miniature as a likeness Chappel made his fine 
picture of Martha Washington for Duyckinck's " Portrait 
Gallery of Eminent Men and Women," published by Mr. 
Henry Johnson, who kindly permitted the artist of this work 
to copy it in pen and ink. James Sharpless made a profile 
of her in colored crayons when she was a year or two older, 
which her friends declared was an excellent likeness. 

Not long before Washington's death, shadow portraits in 
profile of the general and his wife were made at Mount 
Vernon. These were undoubtedly drawn by Mrs. Washing- 
ton's clever granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Custis. The 
profiles were cast in shadow upon a wall by a strong 
light, and were traced there upon paper. They were in the 
possession of Mrs. Lewis many years, when they were pre- 
sented to her friend Mrs. Gibson. On the back of each is 
the following certificate : 

"The within profiles of General and Mrs. Washington 
were taken from shadows on the wall. They are as perfect 
likenesses as profiles can give. Presented to me by my 
friend, Mrs. Eleanor Parke Lewis, Woodland, July, 1832. 
"Elizabeth Bordley Gibson." 

My pleasant task is done. In this volume I have en- 
deavored to present to my readers an outline delineation of 
all that is known of the character and life -career of the 



336 



MARTHA, THE WIFE OF WASHINGTON, 



Mother and the Wife of Washington, and by so doing I 
have incidentally unveiled to view the most pleasing, be- 
cause the most tender and lovable, characteristics of the 
Beloved Patriot. 




NELLY cusTis's BOOK-MARK. (See note, page loi.) 



APPENDIX. 



MARTHA WASHINGTON WILL. 

" In the name of GoD, Amen. 

" I, Martha Washington, of Mount Vernon, in the county of Fair- 
fax, being of sound mind and capable of disposing of my worldly estate, 
do make, ordain, and declare this to be my last Will and Testament, 
hereby revoking all other Wills and Testaments by me heretofore made. 

" Imprimis. — It is my desire that all my just debts may be punctually 
paid, and that as speedily as the same can be done. 

''Item. — I give and devise to my nephew, Bartholomew Dandridge, 
and his heirs, my lot in the town of Alexandria, situate on Pitt and 
Cameron streets, devised to me by my late husband, George Washing- 
ton, deceased. 

''Item. — I give and bequeath to my four nieces, Martha W. Dan- 
dridge, Mary Dandridge, Frances Lucy Dandridge, and Frances Hen- 
ley, the debt of two thousand pounds due from Lawrence Lewis and 
secured by his bond, to be equally divided between them or such of 
them as shall be alive at my death, and to be paid to them respectively 
on the days of their respective marriage or arrival at the age of twenty- 
one years, whichsoever shall first happen, together with all the interest 
on said debt remaining unpaid at the time of my death; and in case the 
whole or any part of said principal sum of two thousand pounds shall 
be paid to me during my life, then it is my will that so much money be 
raised out of my estate as shall be equal to what I shall have received of 
the said principal debt, and distributed among my four nieces aforesaid 
as herein has been bequeathed; and it is my meaning that the interest 
accruing after my death, on the said sum of two thousand pounds shall 
belong to my said nieces, and be equally divided between them, or such 
of them as shall be alive at the time of my death, and be paid annually 
for their respective uses, until they receive their shares of the principal. 

22 



338 APPENDIX. 

"Item. — I give and bequeath to my grandson, George Washington 
Parke Custis, all the silver plate of every kind of which I shall die pos- 
sessed, together with the two large plated coolers, the four small plated 
coolers, with bottle castors, and a pipe of wine, if there be one in the 
house at the time of my death; also the sett of Cincinnati tea and table 

china, the bowl that has a in it, the fine old china jars which 

usually stand on the chimney-piece in the new room; also, all the family 
pictures of every sort, and the pictures painted by his sister, and two 
small screens, worked one by his sister, and the other a present from 
Kitty Brown ; also, his choice of prints ; also, the two girandoles and 
lustres that stand on them ; also, the new bedstead which I caused to be 
made in Philadelphia, together with the bed, mattresses, bolsters, and 
pillows, and the white dimity curtains belonging thereto; also, two other 
beds with bolsters and pillows, and the white dimity window curtains in 
the new room; also, the iron chest and the desk in my closet which be- 
longed to my first husband ; also, all my books of every kind except the 
large Bible and Prayer-book ; also, the set of tea china that was given me 
by Mr. Van Braam, every piece having M. W. on it. 

" Item. — I give and bequeath to my grand-daughter, Martha Peter, my 
M'riting table and tlie seat to it standing in my chamber; also the print 
of General Washington hanging in the passage. 

" Ilevi. — I give and bequeath to my grand-daughter, Elizabeth Parke 
Law, the dressing table and glass that stands in the chamber called the 
yellow room, and General Washington's picture painted by Trumbull. 

''Item. — I give and bequeath to my grand-daughter, Eleanor Parke 
Lewis, the large looking-glass in the front parlor, and any other looking- 
glass which she may choose ; also, one of the new side-board tables in the 
new room; also, twelve chairs with green bottoms, to be selected by her- 
self; also, the marble table in the garret; also, the two prints of the Dead 
Soldier, a print of the Washington Family in a box in the garret, and the- 
great chair standing in my chamber; also, all the plated ware not hereto- 
fore otherwise bequeathed ; also, all the sheets, table linen, napkins, tow- 
els, pillow-cases remaining in the house at my death; also, three beds 
and bedsteads, curtains, bolsters, and pillows for each bed, such as she 
shall choose, and not herein particularly bequeathed, together with coun- 
terpanes and a pair of blankets for each bed; also, all the wine-glasses 
and decanters of every kind ; and all the blue and white china in common 
use. 

''Item. — It is my will and desire that all the wine bottles in the vaults 
be equally divided between my grand-daughters and grand-son, to each of 
whom I bequeath ten guineas to buy a ring for each. 



HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES. 

The History of the United States. First Series. — From the 
First Settlement of the Country to the Adoption of the 
Federal Constitution. Second Series. — From the Adop- 
tion of the Federal Constitution to the End of the Six- 
teenth Congress. By Richard Hildreth. 6 vols., 8vo, 
Cloth, with Paper Labels, Uncut Edges, and Gilt Tops, 
$12 go; Sheep, $15 00; Half Calf, $25 50. {Sold only 
in Sets.) 

The history of the Revolution is clearly and succinctly told. — North 
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Mr. Hildreth's sources of information have evidently been ample and 
various, and intelligently examined, his materials arranged with a just 
idea of their importance in the story, while his judgments are well con- 
sidered, unbiassed, and reliable. His style is clear, forcible, and senten- 
tious. — Christian Register, Boston. 

We value it on account of its impartiality. We have found notliing to 
indicate the least desire on the jjart of the author to exalt or debase any 
man or any party. His very patriotism, though high-priiicipled and sin- 
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The author's grouping of men and events is skilful, and renders his 
rapid narrative pleasant reading. — N. Y. Evening Post. 

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His work fills a want, and is therefore most welcome. Its positive 
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a terseness and conciseness not unlike Tacitus, with not a little, too, of 
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found wisdom. — Methodist Quarterly Review. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

The above work sent by luail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States 
or Canada, on receipt of the price. 



,:5 



ENGLISH COLONIES IN AMERICA. 

A Short History of the English Colonies in America. By 
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readable volume. His style is clear and graphic, and he paints pictures 
of the old times, attractive or repulsive, according to the truth as he finds 
it. He writes without apparent prejudice, and tries to do justice to all 
sections and peoples, with their widely differing social institutions and 
political creeds. — N. Y. yoitrnal of Co»i?nerce. 

Tl>is " Short Histo'- ," it may safely be predicted, will become a stan- 
dard work. It certa uly ranks with Mr. Green's " Short History of the 
English People," and the author has earned the thanks of the large and 
constantly increasing class of intelligent students of American history 
who desire, in addition to a well-digested compendium of information, in- 
dications as to the sources from which that information is derived. The 
book may be recommended as in all substantial respects better worthy 
of the attention of serious and intelligent readers than any similar piece 
of work yet attempted on either side of the Atlantic. — yV. Y IVoilJ. 

Mr. Lodge evinces throughout his interesting volume the spirit of pa- 
tient and thorough investigation, realizing that the full and adequate pos- 
session of the facts in the case leads almost infallibly to correct inference, 
while an imperfect acquaintance with them will betray even the ablest 
intellects into absurd and pernicious error. A volume like this is an ex- 
cellent antidote for that haste in reaching conclusions, and that ignorance 
in clinging to them, which through all time has resulted in delusion, big- 
otry, and contention, and has proved an immense impediment to substan- 
tial progress. — N. Y. Times. 

It is a successful attempt to answer in a compact and comprehensive 
form the questions of who and what were the people who fought the war 
for independence and founded the United States, and what their life, hab- 
its, thought, and manners. This scope, itwill be seen, takes in all politi- 
cal and personal issues. This narrative is interesting throughout, and an 
invaluable service has been rendered each of the original States. Only 
warm commendation can be offered such a painstaking task. — Boston 
Comviotiwealtli. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

The above work sent by mail, postage prepaid, to atiy part of the United States 
or Canada, on receipt of the price. 



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